Loving God With All You've Got

Matthew 22:36-38

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."

Jesus answered not a disciple who was seeking a deeper truth about understanding what God required of people, but responded to a lawyer who set a trap to tempt Christ. This is the crux of the matter and the kernel of truth: One must love God unreservedly and entirely with the heart, which is the seat of the understanding; the soul, which is the center of will and personality; and, the might, which represents the strength of all the vital corporal powers, both mental & physical. Thus, God wants us to love Him with all that we've got in us (Deut. 6:4-5).

Consider these expressions:

"That was a half hearted effort" means lacking spirit or interest.

"His heart's not in it" means uninterested in something.

A divided heart has torn loyalties. It is pulled in many directions. The Lord wants all of your heart and not most of it, some of it, 89% of it, or a majority of it. He desires ALL of it. The whole stream of our affections, strength, understanding and will must run toward Him.

But, why?

The answer is quite simple: Because that's how God loves us (John 3:16;Rom. 5:8; I John 4:9). He doesn't do anything half way. God does all things well (Mark 7:37).

Here's a secret, of sorts, if you want to know what happens when you love God with all that you've got:

1. By loving God through Jesus Christ, both will come to dwell inside of you through the Holy Spirit (John 14:21, 23; 15:26).

2. Because you're indwelt by the Spirit, you have been set free from sin (John 8:32; Rom. 8:2).

3. There is liberty as a result of the Holy Spirit's indwelling! (II Cor. 3:17)

And it's only a secret because people choose not to know God's word. It's not like He's intentionally hiding His truth from us; on the contrary, we're running from it and by extension from Him, which regretably leaves us loveless; that is, incapable of loving and being loved.

If you're like that lawyer who's looking for a legal loophole then, Friend, you're going about life the wrong way. If, on the other hand, you are sincerely desiring to find a deeper truth, then look no further than this commandment to understand, worship and know God as He is: God IS love.

Read the Scriptures, follow the logic of God's love and trust in His truth. It is important for you to understand who you are (i.e., a sinner) in light of who God is (i.e., holy) and marvel at the wonder of His great mercy at Calvary.

Make no mistake, you are saved by the grace of God and NOTHING ELSE (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9).

So, if you choose to love God through Jesus Christ with all that you've got then these promises that Christ made to His disciples are the same promises you can take hold of today IF you accept Him as your Lord & Saviour.

Otherwise, you won't possess the joy of the Christ's Spirit inside of you, especially during the dark trials and valleys you're going to encounter in this life. Faith in Christ, dear Reader, and nothing else is the victory (I John 5:4)!

I Need A Victory Today!

To him that overcomes the foe,
White raiment shall be giv’n.
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in Heav’n.
Then onward from the hill of light,
Our hearts with love aflame,
We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,
In Jesus’ conqu’ring Name.

Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.

Seasons of the Tree

Psalm 1:3
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, twisted and empty of any value.

The second son said, No. It was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, saying it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son took issue with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

The moral of the story is that if you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

In Psalm 30:5b, God promises, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Furthermore in Isaiah 61:3, there is more encouragement: "...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

Even though the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel, there's a Biblical principle that applies to Christians as well. To wit, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, in John 16:20 declares:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

What more comfort do you need than from Christ's own promise? I want to encourage someone out there today to not give up, to not despair and worry. Press forward toward the prize. The travail you're passing through will be nothing compared to the glory that awaits you in heaven if you faint not.

You might be thinking: But, what about right now? I need something now! All I can share with you is God's word. Paul pleaded, prayed and begged God to remove his thorn in the flesh. Let's read what happened next in II Corinthians 12:8-9,

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

And for the rest of you who like to point fingers and tsk-tsk at others' predictaments, beware! As Christ warns in Matthew 7:1-5 -

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

So,  let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not! (Gal. 6:9)

To find out more about Jesus Christ, click here: Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory!

Falling Feels Like Flying (For A Little While)

Psalm 55:6

"No one regards what is before his feet; we all gaze at the stars."

— Quintus Ennius

"Don't let the fear of falling keep you from knowing the joy of flight."

— Lane Wallace

The quotes above extol flight by men whose ideas extended from the antiquities to the 20th Century. Anyone who has flown on an airplane can totally relate to the sensation, thrill and fear of flying.

Just thinking about what it takes to make an airplane to fly, is mind boggling. In order to get up off the ground, there is a tug of war between the opposing forces of thrust versus drag, lift versus weight.  Thrust is what proples the plane forward, usually by the engine, which is used to create alot of air. Drag is what happens to the plane when it is propelled forward; the wind runs counter to the plane, creating resistance. As a consequence of thrust & drag, there's another conflict at play: gravity hold on to the airplane while the rush of air over the wings creates areas of pressure over and under the wings. The bottom line is that the lift under wings overcomes the pressure over the wings. To understand the principle of lift in action, imagine going outside on a very windy day and sticking your hand out the window of a moving car; your arm will be lifted up a little. You've just experienced lift (information courtesy of howstuffworks.com)

Why all the talk of flight?

Sin is pretty much like the sensation of flight, appealing to all of the senses. It's addicting. And, for a season it feels good, even when you know that what you're doing is wrong. The heart indulges in sin because that's its natural state (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:10). There's nothing we can do about it because sin comes from our sin nature. To wit, Rom. 7:5 indicates -

"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."

Thus, there's no way out of this free fall called sin. Not even works can save you; it's not a parachute by any means. Ephesians 2:8-9 state, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

The moral of this story is falling feels like flying until you go SPLAT! You cannot fight against sin in the flesh. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ and He will set you free from sin. I'll tell you how in a minute.

Reader, think on these things that are honest, true and of good report:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles", Isa. 40:31

"And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. "  Ps. 55:6

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." I Thess. 4:16-18

In a while, dear Believer, and you shall catch a flight. A one way ticket to glory! It's not too late for you, Unbeliever, to do the same.

All you have to do is ask Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into your life. Here's how: The Plan of Salvation

May the Lord bless you today!