The Point System of God
Do you think the more points you have the more He will love you?
We love because God first loved us. (1 John 4:19, CEB)
When I asked my dear friend, who has been serving the Lord for many years, “Do you really love God?” her answer was a simple, “No.” I believe, in her heart, she knows that her love is minuscule compared to God’s love for her. Even though she has been forgiven and made new through Christ, she feels she can never work hard enough to make the goal of perfect love.
Did God ever ask for perfect love from imperfect people? What goal are we trying to reach? Have we lived in a “point-system world” for so long that we believe God performs within the same criteria?
Could the point system look like this:
- I read my Bible — One point!
- I pray — One point!
- I witness— Two points!
- I do something nice for my widowed neighbor — Two points!
- I give money to a non-housed person — Three points!
- I tithe— Three points!
- I didn’t say one dirty word this week — Five points!
For seven days this week, I gained seventeen points. Wow! I must love God, and He must love me for getting such good points. Maybe if I do more next week, He will love me even more.
But then again, I must admit my negatives:
- I told a small lie this week — minus one point.
- I gossiped — minus three.
- I was judgmental — minus three.
- I was prideful — minus three.
- I was impatient — minus four.
- I was unloving — minus five points.
And there it goes — I’m in the hole!
You see, the point system only solidifies a fact. I need help with this pointless point system. I have always behaved in a world system of gaining acceptance, receiving a reward, being promoted, or getting a high grade for my performance. However, in the spiritual world, I feel as though I fail because of my inability to resist sin. Sin is my disability to perfection.
Let’s stand back and look at this realistically. In my simple brain, I can only vaguely understand the love of God. I imagine that a mother equally loves both her disabled child as much as her non-disabled one. So, I have to believe that God knows of my disability and loves me just the same.
In fact, my disability is the very reason He put on human skin and came down to my level. He died a horrid death to heal me.
But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, CEB)
God loves me so much that I cannot fully grasp or explain it. His passion is measureless, ubiquitous, omniscient, and perpetual. His perfect love casts out my fear.
I can’t outrun, outlast, or attain the favor of God, and neither can you.
It’s true; in this world, we may need to do things to be liked or loved by other people. But in the spiritual world, God’s love for us is genuine, authentic, and flawless.
Do I love God? Yes, I do, but I can never love Him as much as He loves me. I also know He does not want me to serve Him with an anxious heart trying to gain His love. He already loves me perfectly, and He accepts my imperfect love.
God does not work on a point system.
God only wants me to make a special place in my life for Him alone. He wants me to walk and talk with Him as He holds my hand.
If I am so busy trying to win God’s favor, I miss this sweet fellowship with the lover of my soul.
Can we ever learn to love like God? Probably not, but it never hurts to ask, and as our relationship with Him grows, so will our love, enabling us to ask boldly. Trust and enjoy His passion. There’s more than enough to go around for everyone.
