Tag: devotional

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Beyond What We See

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, living a life for God’s glory / w3d3

SCRIPTURE: PROVERBS 3:5-6 / SOAP VERSES 5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

This passage is what I like to call an ‘if this – then that’ passage. In other words, Solomon lays out instructions that when followed lead to a particular outcome. In this case trusting in the Lord with our whole heart, no reservations … depending on God rather than the way things look to be … and seeking God in the big things of life as well as the minute details will lead to a clear and godly path even when the way seems filled with mountains, valleys, catastrophes, and detours along the way.

The point here is not to be mindless or naïve. Rather, we need to recognize our own limitations. Just because we’re in over our heads does not mean God is no longer in control.

Bibleref.com/Proverbs 3:5

With such a favorable outcome this should be an easy set of instructions but I would venture to say we all know it isn’t. Like you, I’m sure, I can think of untold examples throughout my lifetime but the one that came to mind first was the birth of my second daughter. Despite a few hitches and ultimate c-section the delivery went well and baby girl was declared to be healthy. However, later that morning when I had been returned to my room from the surgical-delivery room and they laid her in my lap and i peeled back the blanket to count fingers and toes my heart dropped. I had not been told that her feet were crippled so I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. My heart dropped, the tears pooled in my eyes, the fear and sorrow invaded my mind and planted quick seeds of doubt that my little girl would never be able to walk or run and play. I judged with my eyes, I definitely leaned on my own understanding and the conclusions were not good.

However, in the ensuing minutes, hours, and days to come God surrounded me with people who pointed my mind back to Him and with those who could answer questions and a specialist who in less than 24 hours had molded one foot that seemed to have no heal, straighten the other that seemed beyond hope or repair, and put them both in cast. This was a process that happened over and over for the days – then weeks – then months to come. Each time the cast would come off I would see glimpses and eventually miraculous revelations of what God was doing. What I had seen when I unwrapped her that first day gave no hope of what I saw on day ninety when we moved from cast to brace on one foot and from possible surgeries to no surgeries on either foot.

What I had seen that first day was devastating and offered no hope or reason to trust God but He saw the bigger picture and He fixed my eyes on Him and kept me from leaning on my own understandings. He made straight the path that seemed to only have a troubling end. God has used this story in my life and in my daughter’s as a point of reference and reminder that He is in perfect control and works all things together for the good of those who trust Him and have fixed their thoughts on Him. – This example is not to say that just because we trust God every scary or undesirable situation works out to a wonderful and beautiful outcome that we imagine to be better, but – it is without question evidence that trusting God with and in all situations leads to a path that He has faithfully directed – and i better than anything we can ask or even imagine.

WISDOM FROM THE JOURNEY

Because our emotions cannot be trusted, our circumstances must not dictate who we trust in or how we choose the way we will go. However, we can always trust God and His direction despite the worst of circumstances.

REFLECTION ON THE JOURNEY

In what areas of your life can you release fear or control and, instead, trust in the Lord?

THE MORE WE KNOW

Christ wants His followers to be set apart from the world, making godly choices and living godly lives

Be sure and read today’s Love God Greatly blog for more insight on today’s passage

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Seek Wisdom

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, living a life for God’s glory / w3d2

Scripture: Proverbs 4:1-19 / SOAP verses 6-7

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 Wisdom is supreme— so acquire wisdom, and whatever you acquire acquire understanding!

Proverbs 4:6-7

When Solomon speaks of wisdom, he is referring to the precepts, or general rules, of God’s Word. It is seen throughout Scripture that the person who chooses to live according to the Word of God is spared from the destruction that comes to those who forsake or refuse His Word. Or, as BIbleref.com explains it, “Those who live by godly principles are far less likely to suffer the consequences faced by those who participate in sin and depravity.” Solomon was trained by his father to follow God’s word, and now he was teaching his son the same lesson. He wanted him to know that there is nothing more valuable than gaining the wisdom of God. Possessing godly wisdom is better than any amount of material possessions, wealth, or fame. However, we must not simply acquire wisdom but also seek to understand it, for without understanding, we will easily fall prey to the hindrances of this life that can quickly deter us from faithfully following God’s will.

Godly wisdom may look very different from worldly wisdom. Jesus highlighted these differences in His Sermon On the Mount For example, He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Godly wisdom often requires us to do that which is opposite our natural inclinations. Godly wisdom goes against the “conventional wisdom” of the day; it is not focused on self-preservation but on furthering the kingdom of God. We can only live in godly wisdom when we are committed to crucifying our flesh and living in the Spirit (see Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:16, 25).

gotquestions.org (read it all in today’s “The More We Know”)
Wisdom from the Journey

Seek to fill your mind with wisdom from God. For when we stay true to God’s wisdom our hearts will be guarded and we will be protected.

Reflection On the Journey

What practical steps can you take to seek God’s wisdom through His Word?

The More We Know

Christ wants His followers to be set apart from the world, making godly choices and living godly lives

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Transforming the Mind

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, living a life for God’s glory / w3d1

SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:1-2 / SOAP verses 6-7

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 NLT

Paul urges the believers in Rome to give themselves to God as a sacrifice. Paul wasn’t talking about literally throwing ourselves in the fire to be burnt up as the priest would do with the people’s sacrifices in the days of Aaron. However, what he was telling them was extremely radical, as it required them to sacrifice their earthly lifestyles – the normal behavior and customs of the world – for one that was holy and pleasing to God. Paul emphasizes that this is truly the way to worship God. Because we are born with a sinful nature that leads to death, the sacrifice requires a complete transformation of our minds and hearts that only God can perform. His transforming power will change how we think and give us a growing understanding of living a life set apart for God. When I read these words of Paul, I can’t help but think of James telling his readers that they needed to draw close to God, wash their hands, and purify their hearts because their loyalty (their mind) was divided between God and the world.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

James 4:7-8 NLT

Without the transformation of our minds, we will easily and forever be more swayed by the world than by God. Consider what Jesus told Peter, who had his mind on the things of man rather than God, in Matthew 16:23 – “…you are being a hindrance to me.” It is vital to keep our minds on the things of God not only for our own spiritual walk but so that we do not become a hindrance to those around us; again, this is only possible through the transformation and continual renewal of our mind that enables us to “test and approve what is the will of God -“

WISDOM FROM THE JOURNEY

God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect – but we will not begin to understand it until we stop thinking and living like the world.

Me-fromtheInsideout 🦋
REFLECTION ON THE JOURNEY

What is one practical step you can take today to renew your mind with God’s Word?

THE MORE WE KNOW

The danger of thinking about the things of man rather than the things of God –

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog Post for more insight –

Don’t forget this Truth

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Love and Forgiveness

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, Living a life for God’s Glory / w2d5

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17 / SOAP verse 12-13

 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.

Colossians 3:12-13

As followers of Christ we need to know who we are in God and how we are to live in and for Him. I love the way Paul address both of these issues in Colossians chapter three. For the purpose of our SOAP verses we are focusing on “forgiving others;” but if we want to truly understand not only how to forgive but the reason we must forgive others then we need to consider the whole passage and what came before it. For the in-depth answer and better understanding we should begin reading in verse one. Actually, here’s a challenge: Commit to read the passage, (Col 3:1-17), daily during the month of January and then once a week every month following. – Let it sink in and watch how God changes you and your relationships, both with Him and with others.

When God saved us He set us apart. This is made clear in Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 5:17, where he declares that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. He says the old is gone and the new is here. This transformation hasn’t only changed us on the inside – but from the inside out – so that we are now, according to 1 Peter 2:11, considered “strangers and aliens in the world”, or as other translations render it – “temporary residents and foreigners … exiles.” The question that quickly comes to mind is, “does anyone see me as different” or am I still disguised ‘as the world’?

This passage from Colossians is another from my collection of memory verses so I am very familiar with it, however – reading it fresh this morning and looking to make some observations, Holy Spirit prompted two questions:

  • Who are we?
  • How are we to live?

The answers to the first question are found in verse twelve: We are Holy and dearly loved chosen children of God. Paul teaches in the preceding and remaining verses, as well as many other passages, that knowing this makes us responsible to live set apart from the world. In other words, we are to live as though we know who we are and who we belong to. We are to look like, sound like, think like, love like, forgive like, and yes “feel” like we belong to God – chosen, loved, and covered with the righteousness of Christ, filled with the Spirit, and set apart from the world. We are to put off the old sinful nature with it passions and desires and instead we are to be clothed with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We are to make allowances for each others faults and we are to forgive those who offend us. Paul makes it clear that this forgiveness isn’t simply a statement of forgiveness but a clear and forever sacrificial act of forgiveness – just like the forgiveness of Christ toward us. For, as Paul writes, “Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.” From life altering offenses to the ‘you stepped on my toe” offenses – Jesus made provision for them all and this is what is required of us as well. It may not be easy but neither was the way of the cross that Christ took for us. Forgiving others simply isn’t optional it is a mandatory1 part of Jesus’ command to: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

Different than the World

In large part we live in an unforgiving society. We write people off for the littlest offenses or we seek to hurt them back or refuse to talk to them. We demand they atone for what they’ve done to offend us. We hold it against them for years to come, judging every other act and word on that one offense. To live set apart from the world requires that we live differently than this. For us to be forgiven Christ sacrificed His life. In order for us to forgive others we will need to sacrifice our grudge, or anger, our bitterness, or retribution or remembrance of the offense on the altar of Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Paul’s secret

Remember. FIrst of all remember that whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him it is sin (James 4:17). The second thing we are to remember is what Paul said in Colossians 3:16, The Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” When we understand the cost of our sins. When we know the atrocities we’ve committed, or the wrong thoughts we’ve had, the acts of unkindness, the ugly words, the lies, the hidden secrets or depravity of heart and mind ….- and when we see them as being responsible for Christ’s death on the cross – only then will we begin to understand how to to “forgive just like Christ.”

Application

Is there someone you need to forgive? Let the love of Christ guide you as you take that step toward healing and freedom.

The More We Know

The Extreme Importance of Forgiving Others

Imitating Christ

Forgive others, just as Christ forgave you.

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Guard Your Heart

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart – Living A Life For God’s Glory / w2d4

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27 / SOAP verse 27

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

This verse is in the treasure trove of verses I have long stored away in my heart, and when I read it this morning, it reminded me of a song I used to listen to by Steve Green. The song starts with words I sang as a child; maybe you remember them too – “Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see. There’s a father up above, and he’s looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see.” The words are a reminder to be careful with what we let our eyes see and to remember that our heavenly father looks not on the outward appearance of a man but on his heart. It is a reminder that will hopefully inspire us to maintain a pure heart before God. The chorus of the updated version of the song borrows the words Solomon spoke to his ‘son,’ “Guard your heart.” The singer warns the listener not to trade the heart for treasure or give it away, with the reminder that the payment for the ‘pleasure’ of the heart is a high price to pay. Friends, if we desire to remain pure before God, if we want to be light and salt for Him in this dark world, if we want to truly live “set apart”, please Him, and bring Him glory, as we were made to do – then we must, at all costs, guard our hearts.

Guard your Heart * Guard your Heart * Don’t trade it for treasure * Don’t give it away
Guard your Heart * Guard your Heart * As a payment for pleasure * It’s high price to pay
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear * Guard your Heart

Guard Your Heart / Steve Green
Applicable to us

While Solomon wrote the Words to his “son”, we know that all Scripture is given by God and useful for training, rebuking, and correcting us in how we live. We also know that the New Testament is filled with passages that stress the importance of God’s Word in the lives of His children – and in the salvation of those who have not yet believed! So, without question, Solomon’s instructions are meant to be heard and followed by us as well. – (see “The More We Know” section)

So, What steps can we take to guard our hearts more intentionally? Our larger passage, Proverbs 4:20-27, provides excellent insight and words of wisdom to answer this question. I’ve included it here with the passage from my journal. The journal page is marked up and highlighted with the many ways and reasons Solomon suggested his “child” should and could maintain a guarded heart that is pure and turned away from evil, set apart for God. Pay close attention to the fact that having a guarded heart requires that God’s Word be an active and integral part of our lives. We must pay attention to His Word, listen to the things He has made known to us, and remember them. He warns of the need to keep the heart guarded and stresses that it is the source of life. It is the key to our words and thoughts, our desires, and our activities being acceptable to God. His Word is our source of help and strength in fixing our eyes on Him and turning away from the evil in this world. It is a necessary component of being set apart, and living a life that glorifies God.

~May we not just hear His Word but follow it faithfully.

Today’s Reflection

What is one step you can take to guard your heart more intentionally? Pray about it and ask God for His help – I promise He will hear and answer your prayer, 1 Jn 15:14-15; and your heart will not only be guarded but it will be more and more drawn to and set apart for Him.

The More We Know

The importance of God’s Word made known in the Scriptures:

  • Matt. 4:4
  • Luke 24:45
  • Jn 5:39
  • Jn 8:32
  • Jn 17:17
  • Acts 17:11
  • Rom 1:16

  • Romans 10:17
  • Ephesians 6:17
  • Colossians 3:16
  • 1 Thes. 2:13
  • Hebrews 4:12
  • James1:21-23
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Guard Your Heart

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart – Living A Life For God’s Glory / w2d4

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27 / SOAP verse 27

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

This verse is in the treasure trove of verses I have long stored away in my heart, and when I read it this morning, it reminded me of a song I used to listen to by Steve Green. The song starts with words I sang as a child; maybe you remember them too – “Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see. There’s a father up above, and he’s looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see.” The words are a reminder to be careful what we let our eyes see and to remember that our heavenly father looks not on the outward appearance of a man but on his heart. It is a reminder that will hopefully inspire us to maintain a pure heart before God. The chorus of the updated version of the song borrows the words Solomon spoke to his ‘son,’ “Guard your heart.” The singer warns the listener not to trade the heart for treasure or give it away, with the reminder that the payment for the ‘pleasure’ of the heart is a high price to pay. Friends, if we desire to remain pure before God, if we want to be light and salt for Him in this dark world, if we want to truly live “set apart”, please Him, and bring Him glory, as we were made to do – then we must, at all costs, guard our hearts.

Guard your Heart * Guard your Heart * Don’t trade it for treasure * Don’t give it away
Guard your Heart * Guard your Heart * As a payment for pleasure * It’s high price to pay
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear * Guard your Heart

Guard Your Heart / Steve Green
Applicable to us

While Solomon wrote the Words, we know all Scripture is given by God and useful for training, rebuking, and correcting us in how we live. We also know that the New Testament is filled with passages that stress the importance of God’s Word in the lives of His children – and in the salvation of those who have not yet believed! So, without question, Solomon’s instructions are meant to be heard and followed by us as well. – (see “The More We Know” section)

So, What steps can we take to guard our hearts more intentionally? Our larger passage, Proverbs 4:20-27, provides excellent insight and words of wisdom to answer this question. I’ve included it here with the passage from my journal. The journal page is marked up and highlighted with the many ways and reasons Solomon suggested his “child” should and could maintain a guarded heart that is pure and turned away from evil, set apart for God. Pay close attention to the fact that having a guarded heart requires that God’s Word be an active and integral part of our lives. We must pay attention to His Word, listen to the things He has made known to us, and remember them. He warns of the need to keep the heart guarded and stresses that it is the source of life. It is the key to our words and thoughts, our desires, and our activities being acceptable to God. His Word is our source of help and strength in fixing our eyes on Him and turning away from the evil in this world. It is a necessary component of being set apart, and living a life that glorifies God.

~May we not just hear His Word but follow it faithfully.

Today’s Reflection

What is one step you can take to guard your heart more intentionally? Pray about it and ask God for His help – I promise He will hear and answer your prayer, 1 Jn 15:14-15; and your heart will not only be guarded but it will be more and more set apart for Him.

The More We Know

The importance of God’s Word made known in the Scriptures:

  • Matt. 4:4
  • Luke 24:45
  • Jn 5:39
  • Jn 8:32
  • Jn 17:17
  • Acts 17:11
  • Rom 1:16

  • Romans 10:17
  • Ephesians 6:17
  • Colossians 3:16
  • 1 Thes. 2:13
  • Hebrews 4:12
  • James1:21-23
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Love One Another

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, Living a Life for God’s Glory / w2d3

Scripture/SOAP: John 13:34-35

“I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35

According to BibleRef.com, ” – the gold standard for living out Christian belief, and the means by which believers are to distinguish themselves from non-believers, is expressed in their love for one another.”(emphasis added) This is important to understand as we read and commit to follow the command of Christ to love other believers as He has loved us. It is helpful to know that this wasn’t literally a new command but was, as best defined by the Greek word that He used for “new”, a command that He was renewing in their minds for the purpose of importance and a means to understand His hands-on illustration of washing their feet (John 13:2–5), which was the act of a lowly-servant not of a teacher or master. This act of kindness was a visible representation of His love for them through a servant’s heart, it was also meant to show them that their attitudes (they had been arguing and contending with one another) need adjusting and that as His disciples it was an example of what their role was to be.

For Jesus, it was the display of His humility and servanthood in forgiving sinners. For the disciples, the washing of their feet displayed a mindset in direct contrast to their heart attitude at that time. For us, washing feet is symbolic of our role in the body of Christ.

gotquestions.org

Jesus wanted His disciples1 to know that others were watching them and they would be known by their actions. As followers of Christ, they were to imitate Him – which meant living and loving like Him so that others would know the Father – just as He had lived with and loved them to show them the Father. He had come to make the way, the truth, and life known to men and that was what His disciples were/are to do in His stead.

The Greek term for “disciple” in the New Testament is mathetes, which basically means “student” or “learner.” But a disciple is also a “follower,” someone who adheres completely to the teachings of another, making them his rule of life and conduct. Jesus’ followers were called “disciples” long before they were ever called “Christians.” Their discipleship began with Jesus’ call and required them to exercise their will to follow Him (Matthew 9:9).1

The More We Know

Why did He wash their feet? – it’s important!

Be sure and visit the LGG Blog Page for more insight

1 What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Love Others

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based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, living a life for God’s glory / w2d2

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21 / SOAP verses 9 and 10

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 

Romans 12:9-10 NLT

I love the New Living Translation of this passage. It was a conviction of my heart many years ago when I began using the NLT translation as my study Bible. I had heard the verse many times before in various other translations – but I never “heard or understood” it so clearly as when I read the words, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.” You see, to some degree I prided myself on being able to get along with people, to love everyone – even my ‘enemies’ or those who had offended or hurt me. However, when I read “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them” I was hit with the hard internal question of ‘whoa! Do I really love these people or have I just become good at dealing with them, giving the pretense of loving them?”

But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

How do you love the husband that walks out on you and your children after 26 years of marriage without a word? How do you love those who have persecuted you or lied to you or mistreated you or maligned your testimony, or those who have hurt your family? The answer to all of these came from the words of Christ echoing through my mind – “But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” One thing I have learned from experience – you don’t do it in your own strength, it is only possible in and through the power of God. For me the first step was remembering that God loved me even when I was His enemy, when I turned away from Him He pursued me, and He has forgiven me and loved me without fail. His mercies are truly “new every morning.” If I’m still struggling to love – the Spirit is faithful to remind me (John 14:26) of Jesus’ command to “love others as He has loved us” – and how He loved us even unto death on the cross. It is God – His grace towards me and His love in me, that truly helps me to genuinely love “others”.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. … but I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13

This is definitely one of those passages that gives validity to the saying that “being a Christian isn’t for sissies.” Following Christ takes work, as Jesus told a crowd that gathered around Him one day – it means “turning from selfish ways, taking up our cross daily, and following Him.” It means, as I have learned through the years, utterly depending on and trusting in Him in all of life and knowing that He alone has given us everything we need for the ‘godly life’ He has called us to. Which is why we find it written, “without Him we can do nothing … but through Him we can do all things.”
‘

We all know that we should love each other, but Paul’s instruction is that our love must be genuine or sincere. In other words, Christians are not called to fake an attitude of love for each other, but to find ways to express God’s love meaningfully, as an extension of God’s love for us and ours for Him.

Gotquestions.org

Reflection on Today’s Journey

How can you intentionally and genuinely demonstrate love and honor to those around you today, allowing God’s love to overflow through your actions and words? hit the comment tab to share your answer/thoughts.

The More We Know

What’s it all mean?

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Loving God

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based on the LGG study, Set Apart – Living a Life for God’s Glory / w2d1

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40 / SOAP verses 37-38

 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 

Matthew 22:37-38

How do we love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind? These three things represent the very core of our being and play a vital role in our relationship with and obedience to God – but how do we do it, and is it even possible?

Jesus’ concern was not the religious law but rather our love of God. In other words, it wasn’t obeying all of the laws that would bring us close to God, but rather, it was God’s love for us and our love for Him that would allow us to have a relationship with Him. Actually, Jesus illustrates this in John 14:15, where He said, “If you love Me, you will obey Me.” There’s a reason why He didn’t say, ‘If you obey Me, then you will love Me.’ You see, obedience flows from love. God’s love, as John 3:16 teaches, flowed through Jesus to us; when we receive His love, we will reciprocate it, and our love will flow to Him out from our hearts, souls, and minds through obedience, worship, and lives set apart for/to God. The more we understand the depth and richness of God’s love, the more our love for Him will grow and flow deeper, richer, and more freely every day.

We cannot love someone we don’t know, so knowing Him should be our first priority. Those who pursue God and His righteousness, who take seriously the command to love Him above all else, are those who are consumed with the things of God. They are eager to study God’s Word, eager to pray, eager to obey and honor God in all things, and eager to share Jesus Christ with others. It is through these spiritual disciplines that the love for God grows and matures to the glory of God.

Gotquestions.org

We must understand that God’s love for us and ours for Him is intended to involve our hearts, souls, and minds. It is not a trite surface type of love, and it must not merely be a rote response learned from the commands or training of a parent, teacher, or religion. Religious duty does not produce love in us. Instead, our love for God will prompt what may be considered a religious duty. For instance, we may be trained to pray before every meal. However, regardless of the training’s purpose, the words we pray are just empty words until they are met with the love and understanding of God’s goodness to provide our ‘daily bread.’ God desires – actually, as we read here – He commands that our love for Him flow naturally from our heart, soul, and mind. Please note that Jesus not only gives the command but accentuates its importance by saying, “All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

What practical steps can you take each day to cultivate a deeper relationship with God and love Him with all your heart?

The More We Know

IT”S IMPOSSIBLE

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog for more insight

Want to know God’s love for yourself? – Know These Truths

Posted in From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Seek First God’s Kingdom

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based on the LGG Study, “Set Apart, Living a Life for God’s Glory”

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34 / SOAP verse 33

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Matthew 6:33

Do you ever worry about life’s needs and wants – and the money that can supply those things? I know I have, and at times, I still find myself falling back to those concerns and worries. Apparently, so did the people in Jesus’ day, which is why this portion of the Sermon on the Mount contains teachings by Jesus about issues like treasures on earth versus treasures in heaven (6:19-21)1-3 and about watching out for the desire of “the eye” (6:22)4. He also warned them that they could not serve two masters (6:24)5, in other words, they could not serve the desires of their heart and eyes and God. This is when Jesus pointed out their worries and cares about the things of this world, like clothes, food, and drink. He wanted them – and us – to know and to remember that God would take care of them and their needs – their greater concern and pursuit (and ours) should be God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Actually, look at the verse again and pay careful attention to the fact that Jesus says, “Pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

To seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness means to live in that ongoing repentance from sin, and to lead the kind of sincere, from-the-heart, devoted-to-God lifestyles Jesus has been describing. In response, God will make provision for whatever it is we truly “need” in order to accomplish His will.

Bibleref.org / Matthew 6:24

The applicable message, then, for us, as disciples of Jesus or simply curious readers of His truths, is to know that it is God who cares for our needs, and we can and should trust Him to do this while we occupy ourselves with the pursuit of His Kingdom and righteousness.

Note that Jesus’ audience in Matthew chapter 6 included “His chosen disciples, committed followers, and simply curious listeners.”  Bibleref.com / chapter five context

The More We Know

1Treasures on earth

2Treasures in Heaven

3Where Your Treasure is

4(think about Eve and what happened when she saw the fruit)

5Two Masters

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog

Are you a disciple of Jesus or simply a curious reader of the blog? If you fall under the curious listener – welcome! I invite you to follow the link to Know These Truths, where you will find all you need to know about becoming a disciple of Jesus.

https://mefromthensideout.wordpress.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/