Does life seem more and more like one big test? Do you find people all around you who seem to be setting up hurdles against your peace? I think Jesus must have felt that way. He had 3 short years of public ministry on this earth - years His Father in heaven had purposed for His very existence. That was the case this particular day...a Pharisee "tested him" with a question about what the greatest commandment was. And Jesus patiently spoke our focus verse to him. He added that not only loving the Lord was the "first and greatest commandment" but loving his neighbor was the second most important.
If we are a believer, a disciple of His, then this command applies to us as well. My very smart husband (follow him at www.threepagesperday.home.blog) is teaching on The Ten Commandments (Ex. 20) and when he spoke of the first one: "You shall have no other gods before you", he said how following this command is the secret to following all the others. He compared it to buttoning your shirt wrong at the top...everything else is wrong following it!
We can "love the Lord..." with all that we are, because, as 1 John 4:19 says, He "first loved us". There can be no love apart from God's love...not agape LOVE anyway. Any other kind of love is self-serving; only agape love is unconditional.
When we love Him with "...ALL" our heart, soul and mind, we will love Him with an undivided heart and that will take obedience. Chuck Colson in LOVING GOD says: "The Christian life begins with obedience, depends on obedience and results in obedience. Loving God - really loving Him - means living out His commands no matter what the cost".
So, hurdles or not, we choose to follow Him, know His word and do His will. The same love that set the sun and moon in place is at work in us to be exactly who He made us to be and to do exactly what He purposes us to do. I think that's pretty exciting, don't you?
For further study: Deu. 6:3-9, Joshua 22:5, 2 Chron. 16:9, Psalm 27:4, Ps. 63:1-2, Proverbs 8:17, Matt. 28:20, John 14:15, Mark 12:28-34, Romans 8:28.
Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.
Love,
Holly
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