Kinji and Laurie celebrate Johnna’s (center) new life in Christ after her baptism!
Mark 12:28-31 says; “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘ Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘ The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘ is this; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this; “Love your neighbor as yourself.” THERE IS NO COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THESE.’”
All your heart means with passion. What drives you? Is it God?
All your mind means thoughts that guide your behavior. What do you think about most? Is it God?
All your soul means what you worship. Is it God?
We were all created to worship God. If we don’t worship God, we will find something to worship. It could be your favorite sports teams, your boy/girlfriend, your career or schooling. Is it your TV or computer? If you are not devoted to worshipping God, you are worshipping something. Matthew 6:24 b says: “…You cannot serve both God and Money.” All your strength means what you devote all your energy to. Is it God and His church? Or could it be your work, family, exercise or anything else that prevents you from “Seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
Isaiah 54:5 – “For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”
God want a relationship with you. As we understand the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, we can understand what kind of a relationship God desires with us. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad ones, TIL DEATH DO US PART. God wants us to be devoted to Him with all our heart in a faithful relationship. A great marriage stays a great marriage if both the husband and wife love each other with all their heart, mind, soul and strength in good times and bad. When times become challenging, this is when a couple in a marriage can show how much they really love each other. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen for many couples and divorce sadly follows. When the pain of life and sin sets in, this is when we must show God that we are committed to persevere in our faithfulness and love for Him. God never pulls His love back. Why should we?
John 14:23-24 – Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”
It is most important to find out what God perceives as love for him. Too often we make assumptions on what we think God perceives as love. We need to go to God’s word to understand how God perceives our love for him. All through the Bible we see that obedience to God and His word is what God desires the most.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 – “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as King.”
GOD WANTS OUR WHOLE HEART
Genesis 22:2 - Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
Genesis 22:16-17 – “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you……”
Genesis 22:18 – “And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, BECAUSE YOU HAVE OBEYED ME.”
God tested Abraham, not to trip him and watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity to obey God and thus develop Godly character. Abraham began on of the greatest acts of obedience in recorded history. He traveled some 50 miles to Mount Moriah near the site of Jerusalem. Obeying God is often a struggle because it may mean giving up something we truly want. We should not expect our obedience to God to be easy or come naturally.
LOVE FOR GOD MEANS LOVE FOR THE LOST
Luke 15:10 – “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.”
As Christians, we are doing what God sent Jesus to do, seek and save the lost. God works His grace through Christians. Is reaching out to the lost on your heart? It is certainly on God’s heart. Have faith that God will use you to help someone come to Him. It is a matter of opening your mouth and sharing your faith with someone. Lets be praying for God to help us to be bold and faithful in allowing God to use us.
1 Timothy 2:3-5 – “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men…..”
Life is short, and then we get to go to Heaven,
Love in Christ,
Chris Chloupek
