Job 10:12 You gave me life and faithful love, and Your care has guarded my life.
We were all created by Yahweh and all that exists within creation, including our very selves, truthfully and righteously belongs to Father Yahweh. And when you stop, and look around, take in an fully realize all that Father has given us from the sky to the trees to the sound of the ocean, the clothes on your back, the food that you eat, our children and family members, the guidance and nourishment for our spirits and everything in between, we also come to realize that there could not be any possible way that we could return the love in kind.
But...there are four things that we are capable of giving back to Her, as tokens of our thanks, respect and appreciation, and they are Obedience, Faith, Loyalty and Love.
Deuteronomy 4:1 [ Call to Obedience ] "Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Joshua 23:8 Instead, remain faithful to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.
Proverbs 3:3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.
The word LOVE is actually mentioned 695 times in the scriptures (per Biblegateway and the Holman Christian Standard version of the Bible). That is an enormous amount and also an indication of its importance.
The world as we know it is a dying world, because it’s been out of balance for a very long time. While there are people who do good things, we have become disconnected from those things which are most important and it’s evident in many ways. Mankind has grown more and more disobedient, our relationships lack loyalty, and our faith has waned. We have forgotten how important it is to give thanks every day for all we are given and it’s now limited to once a year at Thanksgiving – if that. But aside from thanks, where has all the love gone?
When you think of it, these things, obedience, faith, loyalty and love, are the same things any of us would expect of a husband or wife, child, family member or friend. As we were created in Her image, they are things that are important to all of us. We all have free will and we all have the choice of whether or not we want to include these characteristics in our day-to-day relationships. You cannot force someone to remain obedient to you, or maintain faith in you and loyalty to you, or love you. And when it is given freely it means just that much more – that is the point in which it is genuine and gains its importance. To be obedient, faithful and loyal first requires love.
Father Yahweh is love personified. Her love for Her creation is greater than any of us could possibly imagine. And, there is very little that She asks of us in return. Long ago She recognized that mankind was frail to being obedient to Her. But nonetheless, She decided to salvage Her human creation, even with regret, and teach all of us Her way. Father is love, and love is what She has for those that cling faithfully to Her.
It is never too much to ask in that we are obedient to Her, that we have faith in Her, that we remain loyal to Her and love Her and each other, with the same love She has shown us.