"He Loves Me"

“He loves me; he loves me not. He loves me; he loves me not.” The picture is of a little girl standing in the background chanting as she plucks petals, one by one, from a daisy and drops them on the ground. At game’s end, the last petal tells all: Whether or not the person desired returns the affection. We may not take seriously that game because of the fickleness of chance, but too often we approach our spiritual life with God in a similar vein.

• I got a raise. He loves me.
• I didn’t get the promotion I wanted; I lost my job altogether. He loves me not.
• Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me.
• My child is seriously ill. He loves me not.
• I gave money to someone in need. He loves me.
• I let my anger get the best of me. He loves me not.
• Something for which I prayed actually happened. He loves me.
• I stretched the truth to get myself out of a tight spot. He loves me not.
• A friend called me unexpectedly to encourage me. He loves me.
• My car needs a new transmission. He loves me not.

How stable can a life be when internally we respond with such a haphazard and fickle approach? Obviously it doesn’t work. It is one of the key reasons why our lives are described in the Bible as being tossed about like the waves of the sea.

We began with the first principle last Sunday in an eight-part series on spiritual principles that lead to deeper growth. Our series is entitled “Filling the Holes in Your Soul.” The first principle was “admitting your need for help.” The next principle is believing that God wants to help you . . . that he really loves you.