JESUS SPEAKING
“The first of all commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29 – 31)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Loving God completely is the foundational principle upon which all of Christianity rests. Those who follow Christ are commanded to prioritize their affections for God ahead of their desires for anything else. And thus, a considerable effort must be made to discover God’s will in every situation, and to obey His wishes accordingly. Simply put, if we love God first, then everything else will find its proper place.
Many years ago there lived a traveling evangelist named Doctor Wilbur Chapman. His earthly ministry proved to be quite fruitful; apparently God used him to win many souls for Christ. As a general guidepost, he held fast to a single motto he called, “My rule for Christian living.” He explained further, saying “The rule that governs my life is this: anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.” Everyone who yearns to follow Christ must eventually learn this simple rule.
Like Dr. Chapman, those who are called to be Christians must first love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Without implementing this principle, it is impossible to serve the Lord in any meaningful way. And so we must practice this selfless existence by minimizing distractions and prioritizing Godly pursuits. We can pray, worship the Lord, read His word, consider His wonders, and serve Him by serving others.
“Lord Heavenly Father, may we possess an affection for You in our hearts that dominates every aspect of who we are and how we live. May we abandon what is unfruitful and focus on loving You completely. May we bend ourselves to Your will, that we might be used to accomplish Your wonderful works. And may we preach the gospel with zeal, as we guide many into Your kingdom. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!
