“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” – Luke 10:27 (NIV)

It is the greatest commandment of them all, it is the one that is closest to the heart of God, it is for us to love Him. Like most people this idea of loving God never came easy for me. I think in my mind it seemed a bit too serious. When I began seeking God I wanted what He had to offer me but I didn’t want to commit to Him. It’s like when you have this guy that you know is not the one, you know you will not marry him and you would not consider being in a serious relationship with him but, he is always there when you need him and he is willing to go above and beyond for you so you keep him around. Truthfully, its more convenience than anything else and it requires no effort on your part; so it’s a win win situation. Well, sad to say but most us treat God like we do our “friend zone good guy”. We know He loves us and that He would do anything for us (He gave His only Son for us). He is always there for us when we need Him so, we use Him. Yes! It’s true, some of us have friend zoned God, like we do with men. We want the benefits of the relationship with God but we refuse to commit to Him.

If we were to take stock of our life right now, what would our relationship status with God be?

        Married – committed; Separated – Out of touch; It’s complicated – I don’t know

The relationship God is calling for us to have should only have one status, committed. If you are for any reason unsure about this, the first question should be why? What or who have you committed to more than God? 

The reason some of us are not committed to God is because we are more committed to ourselves.

Deep in our hearts we know what a life committed to God looks like, it is giving God the free access to make you over and to many people that’s very scary and too uncertain. I remember the first time I gave God a sincere yes, I was seeking Him with my whole heart and I wanted to know Him so badly. I would have done anything to get His attention. I kept telling Him how much I wanted to know Him and I sang that for His glory I would do anything. One day He (God) said, “break up with your boyfriend.”  Wooooo, slow down there God, that’s not what I was asking for, I was trying to get to know you, when it get so serious? He was asking me to commit. 

This was the choice as I saw it:

1. What I wanted – to be married now 
2. What God said – end it now

It became obvious that in order to obey God I had to give up what I wanted, it was Him or me.God tested the words I spoke to Him when I said that I loved Him, that I wanted to do His will and that I would withhold nothing from Him. He asked me to give up the person I treasured the most. God did not want to play second fiddle in my life anymore, He wanted all or nothing. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other….” – Luke 16:13 (NIV) Now this may sound crazy to the average person but I am not alone. God did the same thing to Abraham when He asked Him to sacrifice his son Isaac. “Then God said, take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” –Genesis 22:2 (NIV) Abraham loved Isaac, that we know, but He chose to obey God’s command simply because He loved God more. Abraham’s sacrifice is the perfect example of what the Luke 10:27 commandment to love God should look like. It is simply, I love you (God) above everything, even above myself.

God will not play second fiddle to anything in our lives, not even second to us. His desire is to be first above everything, just ask Abraham. 

I remember talking about how much I loved God but inside I knew something was wrong. There was an emptiness behind my words. One day, I called my friend Crystal Daye and I asked her, “how do I know I love God? She replied, “You obey Him.” “All who love me will do what I say….” – John 14:23 (NLT) “If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15 (NIV)

After I obeyed God and ended the relationship, something changed. Though I was hurting, there was a peace that I just could not explain. I can’t forget that moment I was lying on the ground in my bedroom one night and as I stared at the ceiling I said “God, it’s just you and me now”, and I began to cry, then I said “I love you” and for the first time, I felt the truth in my spirit to confirm my words. Wow! It was one of the best feeling I have ever experienced in my life. I was walking in obedience and in truth.

We need to evaluate our relationship status with God, are we committed or is it complicated? Has God been friend zoned in our lives? Whatever the verdict you come up with, He already knows the answer.

There can be no commitment to obey God without loving Him. That love for God produces in us a selfless devotion to Him. 

He will always give you a choice, and most times it will come down to this;

• Me (God) or;
• You

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” – Luke 9:23

Who are you committed to?