Priceless Woman MinistriesPriceless Woman Ministries
Julia M.
Faulkner
sunshine@pricelesswoman.com
http://www.pricelesswoman.com
Julia M. Faulkner
Tonight I would like to ask you a question based on Matthew 22: 37 & 38: "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". How much do you really love God? Do you ever tell him that you love him? I bet he would be love to hear you say it. I believe that all God has ever desired of us is our true, heartfelt love and fellowship. What do you think?
Let's take a few minutes and talk about why and how we should love God, and some things that hinder us from loving the Lord our God.
If I could give you only one reason that you should love the Lord your God, I would choose Romans 5: 6 8: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". Even though we didn't deserve the sacrifice of God's only son as payment for our sins, he loved us enough to do it anyway. Many times I want to tell my children that they don't deserve things because of their behavior, but then I remember what God did for me. I sure didn't deserve it, but the Lord my God made a way for me to have eternal life with him because of his great love for me. Thank you, God!
If you are a Christian then you should love God because of you no longer serve sin (Romans 6: 6 9)! And you are also a new creature, who has been reconciled unto God by Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5: 17, 18). You ought to praise God daily that you are no longer the vile man that you were before God saved you. If I tried to tell you all the ways that God has changed me from the person I was before, to who I am now, I don't believe that I could. Isn't God wonderful?
And if nothing else comes to mind, there is always Exodus 15:11: "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders". There is no one like God!
Now let's look at some ways that we can show our love for God. I John 3: 18: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth". Do your deeds show your love for God? Titus 2: 11, 12 tells us that we should live godly. And if you have ever read Romans 12: 1 & 2, you know that we ought use our bodies as a living sacrifice for God. Can you think of others?
But let me ask you, where is your heart? Read Luke 12: 22 40, Matthew 6: 19 21 & 24 34, and Luke 16:13. Who is your master? Who do you serve? Do you let the worries of this world dominate your thoughts and actions? Where does your treasure lie?
And tell me now who you truly love? 1 John 2: 15 17 tells us what we should not love and why: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Are you constantly burdened down with thoughts of bills, working, cleaning house, making money, spending money, fixing up the house, buying a new car, and on and on? These things are one day going to be gone forever. Only God and his Kingdom will last for eternity. It is very difficult to be fruitful if you are continually preoccupied with worldly cares.
Matthew 13: 18 23 tells the parable of the sower who scattered (spread) seed (the word of God) on four types of soil (people). The only one who accepted God's plan of salvation is the fourth person. But if you look in verse 22, at the third example, you see that that person did not get saved because he is was concerned with worldly cares (22: He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful). But you could also you this passage as an application to the Christian who lets the these same interferences come between him and God, thus causing him to be unfruitful. But why not follow the example of I Peter 5:7 ("Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you). Instead of letting your cares come between (and before) you and the Lord, why not let God just take care of it for you? By doing this we can have more time to devote to him, worshiping and fellowshipping.
As we near the end of this month's study, we read in Galatians 1:10: "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ". Ask yourself who you are really trying to please!
Many great men of the Old Testament lived for God, and loved the Lord their God with all of their heart. You can read about them in II Kings 23:25 and 18: 1 7. They were richly blessed for being true to God. You can too if you follow John 14:15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments". Do you love God enough to keep his commandments. We can't just pick and choose which ones we want to follow. We have to be dedicated in keeping each and every commandment.
Revelation 2:4: "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love". When we become Christians we are not made perfect, but that is no excuse for being slack in our love toward God. It is easy to leave our first love, but there is a way back. I John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". If you have left your first love, why not return to him today? I'm sure he will be standing there with open arms, waiting to hear you say you're sorry. And that you love him!
The End
© 1996 by Julia M. Faulkner, Sonshine Publications