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“My husband doesn’t show me love,” a distraught woman complained. Her husband was a good provider, maintained her car, vacuumed the house, and cleaned up after supper. But acts of service were not her love language. Because she longed for quality time this woman didn’t recognize her husband’s actions as demonstrations of love.
A hunger to express and receive love runs through human DNA. This made me wonder if that need extends to our relationship with God. If so, how do we speak God’s love language?
Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages captivated millions of readers by describing the different ways we express and receive love. Hebrews 11:6 shows God has a love language too.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (NIV).
Did you catch the reciprocal nature of faith described in this verse? Those who believe in God also believe God rewards them for seeking Him.
Loving Jesus enables us to receive His love. John 14:21 says, “Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them” (GW).
[bctt tweet=”Loving Jesus enables us to receive His love. “Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them” (Jn. 14:21 GW). @DebbieWWilson #LoveLanguage, #Faith” username=”PatHolbrook”]
Let’s look at ways to enhance our love relationship with God.
4 Ways to Speak God’s Love Language
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Pray
Prayer demonstrates faith in God’s generous nature.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matt. 7:7-8 NIV).
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Give Thanks
A large ministry fired an honorable young man without cause. His mother wrestled with God over this betrayal. Before the year was out, a scandal hit the press concerning those who’d mistreated her son. “God spared my son,” she said. “And I’d thought He’d forgotten him.”
Gratitude reminds us God is bigger than the injustices we suffer (Gen. 50:20). Faith allows us to pray with thanksgiving before we see the answer (Phil. 4:6-8).
Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this (1 Thes. 5:18 GW).
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Worship
Worship because He is worthy of our devotion and exalted over everything else that clamors for our time and attention.
Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything (Ps. 46:10 The Message).
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Obey
Obedience demonstrates the authenticity of our faith.
Whoever knows and obeys my commandments is the person who loves me (Jn. 14:21 GW).
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If you love me, you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever (Jn. 14:15-16 GW).
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In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome (1 Jn. 5:3 NIV).
Practice God’s Love Language
We speak God’s love language when we live by faith. Our faith habits express our love to Him and open our hearts to experience His love for us.
[bctt tweet=”Faith habits express our love to Jesus and open our hearts to experience His love for us. #RechargeWednesday @DebbieWWilson
” username=”PatHolbrook”]
- Faith in God’s grace helps us get up after we’ve failed.
- Faith in God’s promises motivates us to persevere in hope when we want to give up.
- Faith in God’s holiness keeps us pursuing purity in a corrupt world.
Every step of faith makes God’s heart sings! Does your relationship with God need a boost? Consider the list above. Which one needs your attention?
Originally published November 13, 2018 at debbieWwilson.com.
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I have never thought about God’s love language before! What an interesting way to shift from the things I “should” be doing to things I want to do to show Him love! Plus, I think He’s pretty keen on all the love languages 🙂
Rebecca, your comment reminds of Pslam 37 which tells us to delight in Him. Blessings.
Thank you, Debbie, for this tender assurance that God never fails to love us in ways that meet our need and touch our hearts in just the right way.
Michele, I’ve been thinking of that concerning a friend who is going through a very tough challenge. Jesus will never leave her side. What a blessed assurance.
What a neat way to think of these truths, as God’s love language. We need to go beyond saying we love Him and show it in out lives. Looking to Him, beholding Him, changes us to be more like Him.
Amen, Barbara!
I so appreciate this tender reminder … “Every step of faith makes God’s heart sings.” Every big and small step of faith is seen by Him.
Joanne, I believe that. As Jesus said, the hairs of our head are numbered!
I will think of loving God a little differently now, Debbie! This is such a helpful perspective on faith. Thank you!
Thank you, Bethany!
Having seen my share of couples and disagreements, I get that men and women see thing differently, but with God we should pick up His language just like we do some foreigner language. We may not be fluent but all know a few words. And I may be clueless here, but I think He created , men and women and they both have the capacity for strength and terness like HIm.
Sorry, things and foreign, and we all, tenderness. Forgive my spelling.
Rebecca, I usually find my mistakes after I push publish. 🙂 Appreciate your thoughts.
Fresh insight, Debbie. I never wondered about speaking God’s love language before. All 4 ways you list to speak God’s love language are equally important. I especially like “obey.” I used to tell my kids basically the same thing John 14 discusses about God. I expressed how if they loved me, then they would obey me; how loving and obeying go hand-in-hand when it comes to the child-parent relationship. And it also does in the child-Father God relationship too.
Karen, that is a great application. When we have parents who love us we know they want to protect us. Thanks for sharing.
Love this idea. laurensparks.net
Thanks, Lauren.
I love this rendition of Psalm 46 that you included: “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” I’m so thankful that worship is one of God’s love languages that I can speak to him. Thanks!
Me too, Lisa.