I pray that you are doing well today - enjoying your journey with the LORD. As I thought about our journey together and with God, the following thought was impressed upon my heart...
With all of our getting in our journey with God, it is so important that we get ‘the point’. Yet we cannot just focus on the points that we feel benefit us. No, we must embrace the primary point which is this: The LORD God Almighty loves people. He loves you and I. He loves everyone. And He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the saving knowledge of grace - and love Him.
Therefore, it is important in all of the ‘getting’ that we do not neglect grabbing hold of true understanding. If we do not love God and if love for people is not at the center of our heart – then we are not at the center, the heart, of what matters to God.
So many people spend countless hours trying to determine their purpose in life. They purchase books, spend time considering and contemplating and worrying. They see trained professionals for counseling that will help them sort it all out.
Yet when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He simply responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
To love God and to love people …
To know God and to make Him known …
There is no greater purpose. This is why we exist.
Oh, that our prayer would be heartfelt, passionate and focused like that of Jesus! ‘And this is life eternal: that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.’ John 17:3 NKJV
II Peter 3:9 tells us that the LORD is not willing that any should perish. He desires for all of creation to know Him and to be in relationship with Him. Likewise, this should be our heart's desire.
I love how the LORD works!
I drafted this post on Friday, March 11th and sure enough, when I went to church on Sunday the pastor was preaching on the same topic! Understand this, when God desires to emphasize a point with His people, He will speak to several of His people, at the same time, about the same thing. The pastor joked, ‘This is the shortest sermon outline, ever!’ Short and simple –
Love God and Love People.
It is not enough to love God without loving His creation. It is impossible to love people without the love of God filling every portion of our hearts.
Love God and Love People.
It is so much simpler than we make it out to be. Yet God so desires for us to experience His very best on our journey that He made it easy enough for everyone to follow.
In pursuing God and His purpose for our lives, let’s make sure that we never lose sight of the principle objective. Everything we are and everything we do flows out of our love for God and His love people – which should also be our love. It is amazing, once we understand the ‘why’ – the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ become much easier to sort out.
When we do all things out of a love for God and a love for people; when our quest is to know and become like Christ and to make Him known while making disciples – the doing flows naturally and we cannot help but to obtain success in the journey!
Have a Blessed Week!
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