Catechism--1st Commandment--You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
Matthew 22:37--And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Devotion--Very few Christians would say that they do not love God. In our lives, we find many examples of our love for God, demonstrated in such things as our assistance to one another in times of need, our gathering for worship, the times we study God's Word, and the like. We see these, and they are evidence of the love that we have for God.
Yet, as we take our faith seriously, we can also take a closer look at those words of Jesus up above. In particular, today I want to point out the word "all" that is found there three times. It isn't just that we have evidence in our lives that we love God. What Jesus is saying is that all of life should be a demonstration of our love for God, and that's where we fall far short.
Taking our faith seriously doesn't necessarily mean that we suddenly try to find unnatural ways to squeeze God into every facet of our lives. Rather, it means that we open our eyes to the areas where we have the opportunity to demonstrate our love for God, and we make the necessary changes to demonstrate that love in those circumstance. It may start off small, such as trying to have a faith related conversation to build up a fellow Christian, or to simply tell someone that you thank God for what they do in your life. From there, we can then start to see just how many opportunities that God gives us to demonstrate our love for Him, and we slowly grow in that demonstration of love.
We don't do this to earn God's favor toward us. Rather, what we recognize is that God has made us His own. God's love and grace to us will never waver or flag. As His baptized, forgiven children, we will always be His through our faith in Christ Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection.
So our demonstrations of our love for God are not for God's benefit. Instead, they are to demonstrate to others who the God is that we love. And as we do this, we also seek to show that it isn't just for set times, like Sunday mornings, but that our love for God is evident in all parts of our lives.
So what is one way that you can further demonstrate your love for God in your life? When will you take up the opportunity and show that love? May God bless you as you seek to do.
Matthew 22:37--And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Devotion--Very few Christians would say that they do not love God. In our lives, we find many examples of our love for God, demonstrated in such things as our assistance to one another in times of need, our gathering for worship, the times we study God's Word, and the like. We see these, and they are evidence of the love that we have for God.
Yet, as we take our faith seriously, we can also take a closer look at those words of Jesus up above. In particular, today I want to point out the word "all" that is found there three times. It isn't just that we have evidence in our lives that we love God. What Jesus is saying is that all of life should be a demonstration of our love for God, and that's where we fall far short.
Taking our faith seriously doesn't necessarily mean that we suddenly try to find unnatural ways to squeeze God into every facet of our lives. Rather, it means that we open our eyes to the areas where we have the opportunity to demonstrate our love for God, and we make the necessary changes to demonstrate that love in those circumstance. It may start off small, such as trying to have a faith related conversation to build up a fellow Christian, or to simply tell someone that you thank God for what they do in your life. From there, we can then start to see just how many opportunities that God gives us to demonstrate our love for Him, and we slowly grow in that demonstration of love.
We don't do this to earn God's favor toward us. Rather, what we recognize is that God has made us His own. God's love and grace to us will never waver or flag. As His baptized, forgiven children, we will always be His through our faith in Christ Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection.
So our demonstrations of our love for God are not for God's benefit. Instead, they are to demonstrate to others who the God is that we love. And as we do this, we also seek to show that it isn't just for set times, like Sunday mornings, but that our love for God is evident in all parts of our lives.
So what is one way that you can further demonstrate your love for God in your life? When will you take up the opportunity and show that love? May God bless you as you seek to do.
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