It All Comes Down to Love

I was reading in my devotions yesterday starting in Rom. 8:28. Well, that was as far as I got... I was all about claiming that promise that "all things work together for good" but then I came to the limitations on it--"to them that love God..." So I was thinking, well, how do I know if I really love Him? We all like to say we love Him, but what does that look like in my life? So I remembered something in 1 John saying "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, for if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." So then I started thinking, what are the things of the world? Well, like the rest of the chapter says, "the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life." That was convicting. Wow, sometimes I'm so "good" that the pride of life rears its ugly head. So I was still thinking on what else loving God looks like, so I was looking later on in the book, and chapter 4 brings out some interesting points...like loving others, for "every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Hmm. That was convicting too. Just today I thought of another person I need to work on loving, and yesterday I already thought of three! Wow, I have so much to learn. Plus that verse later on that says "there is no fear in love, for perfect love casteth out fear...he that feareth is not made perfect in love." Sometimes...kidding, a lot of times!...I'm apprehensive about really openning up or sharing my heart with someone because I'm fearful of what they will think...so I don't really love them completely. It's like a constant fear of mine in the whole dorting [Dr. Olilla from Northland...yes, that school up north!] thing...but that means I'm not truly, completely, perfectly loving that person. And sometimes people intimidate me, just by how they look--where's the love in that?
So anyway, the Lord has really been hounding that into me recently. Then in class, Mrs. Brown was giving a little "openner" and guess what it was on??? Yep, loving God. She mentioned the verse "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." So that was kind of neat.