Love With Abandon

 "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind'." Matthew 22:37 NKJV

This commandment is not new. This commandment didn't start with Jesus. This commandment was instituted from the beginning of time. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," Genesis 1:1. When God created the heavens and the earth He also created everything in them. There is nothing here that was not created by God Himself.

When He created Adam and Eve, He told them they could eat from every tree except one. They broke the commandment and disobeyed God. Eve listened to the serpent who asked a simple question and distorted the truth (for further study see Genesis 2-3). Rather than trust her loving Father, she believed the lie and caused all humanity to be born sinful.

Loving God does not mean just being a soldier and following orders to the letter, nor does it mean being a puppet and allowing someone else to pull the strings. Loving God is a choice we all must make for ourselves. Will we choose to love God, or not? Will we choose to obey God, or not? See, God being God, loved us enough to give us a precious gift (though some may call it a curse) called free will. He will not force us to choose Him or to love Him, we must make that a conscious choice for ourselves. Loving God means following His will and His way for us because we know He loves us and so we, in turn, love Him.

Can you choose to follow Him wherever that may mean? Would you choose Him over anyone or anything else? That is the reality of what He is asking. Jesus gave us this commandment first because it is the most important. When we put God first, the rest will come together. It may not seem so at first, but do you trust Him? Do you believe that He knows everything and sees everyone and every situation? Do you believe that He works all things for good, no matter how bad it looks?

Take time today to seek God and love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind. Pray and seek Him. When we do, He comes close to us. If you don't see it or feel it, keep striving because He is right there. He loves you precious one. He created you and has a plan for you. Put Him first and as Charles Stanley always says, "Obey God and leave the consequences up to Him."

Joy in Trials

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials," James 1:2 NKJV. Is this your reflex action when you encounter trials - to count it all joy? Congratulations to you if so, however, if not, welcome to the club. Now this is not a club I am proud to be a part of nor do I want to remain in it. I long to "count it all joy when I fall into various trials" and one by one slowly will learn to do just that if I consciously make the decision to accept trials with a joyful attitude.

The problem is that we have been deceived into believing that the Christian life is an easy one. We somewhere along the line bought into the idea that once we accept Jesus, everything will be easy and simple. I apologize if this is where you are. There is nothing recorded in the Scriptures that tells us that. Trust me, I have looked long and hard to find it. It's not there. However, Jesus tells us that there will be trials and tribulations but that we will never have to be alone in them (John 16:33, Hebrews 13:5). There is cause for joy!

When you read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and study Jesus' life, there is nothing simple or easy about it. He had one trial right after another. Anyone who calls themselves a Christian is claiming "little-Christ" so we are guaranteed trials. John 16:33 concludes this way, "but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Isn't that a wonderful promise? We can choose joy because Jesus has overcome the world. Dear sister and brother, trust in the Lord, count it all joy, and store your treasures in heaven. Jesus loves you so much and one day when you close your eyes for the last time and look in the face of Jesus Christ, it will all be worth it. Whatever valley you are in, whatever mountain you may have to climb, whatever the trial or tribulation you find yourself battling, count it all joy and put your faith in Jesus.