Love God and Do as You Please

A sixteenth century theologian and reformer said that Christians should love God and then do as they please. I like the simplicity of that. It’s saying that if we really love God, our decisions will be right. All too often we put too much of our energy in making decisions and too little of our energy into loving God.
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” When we love God that passionately, our decisions will reflect that love.
The Bible is filled with practical advice on how to live and what to do and when we’re looking for specific advice, it should be our starting place. If the Bible says something is wrong, we shouldn’t do it. If the Bible is silent on a subject, make your decision according to what seems best to you.
For example: Are you thinking about moving in with the person you’re dating? Don’t. The Bible advises against premarital sex. Are you tempted to cheat on your income taxes? Don’t. The Bible tells us not to defraud the government. But if the major decision you’re facing is what color car to buy, the Bible gives no indication as to God’s color preference so chose whatever you like! I happen to like red.The Bible doesn’t tell us which job to take, where to invest or whether we should go out for lacrosse – but it does tell us that we should work honestly, invest wisely and play fairly. And, most of all, we should love God!