"I Love God, But..."

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar.”

– 1 John 4:20

Alright people...let’s talk.

I’ve seen people who claim they love God with everything they’ve got.

They sing it, preach it, post it.

They say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

“Where He sends, I will go.”

They lift their hands effortlessly in worship.

Tears fall easily during prayer.

But ask their spouse, and you’ll hear a different story.

There’s no tenderness.

No patience.

No gentleness.

No apology when they’re wrong.

No listening ear when their spouse is hurting.

Just silence, distance, and sometimes, coldness…in the name of being “spiritual.”

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Got me thinking; could it be that we find it easier to love a God we don’t have to deal with face to face?

It’s “safe” to love God.

He’s perfect.

He doesn’t interrupt us mid-sentence.

He doesn’t leave socks on the floor or forget to call back.

He doesn’t trigger our insecurities or misread our tone.

But loving a spouse?

That’s up close.

That’s daily.

That’s raw, vulnerable, sacrificial, inconvenient, and, very often, revealing.

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Our Lord Jesus said the greatest commandments are:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart…And love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

Your spouse is your closest neighbor.

So when Scripture says, “If you don’t love people you can see, you cannot love God whom you cannot see”

That includes how you talk to your wife.

That includes how you treat your husband when you’re annoyed.

That includes how you prioritize, forgive, serve, and honor your spouse.

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Loving God is not just vertical. It has to show up horizontally.

If your worship is deep but your marriage is dry,

If your Bible is highlighted and underlined but your words are harsh,

If your prayer life is loud but your love life is low

You may not have a spouse problem.

You may have a disconnect between what you claim vertically and how you live it horizontally.

Truth is:

You can’t be spiritually mature while being emotionally negligent.

You can’t claim to love God and keep wounding the one He gave you to love.

Love for God should overflow into love for others...especially the one you said “I do” to.

So yes, worship boldly.

Yes, pray fervently.

Yes, serve passionately.

But let it show at home.

Where it matters most.

Where God is watching.

Where love is tested…and proven.

👣 Be Better. 💛 Love Better. 🙌🏾 Do Better. 💍 Marriage Works.