On Tuesday, I began to consider the importance of being faithful in the "great" commandments in response to the emphasis Jesus placed on the "least" of the commandments in Matthew 5:19. I identified the two key commandments as noted by Jesus... 1) Love God 2)Love People. I want to elaborate on "Love God" in this post.
The very first commandment found in Exodus 20 is "You shall have no other God before me." However, I think we can't afford to miss the verse that comes right before it, which says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." In response to what God has done for us, He deserves to occupy first place in our lives! Let's be honest, without His grace, forgiveness, and patience we would not be much of anything. Without His desire to free us from a live that's enslaved by sin, we would be destined to an eternal hell and a pointless life on this earth.
We talk about things we love all the time. I often say that I love...Desserts, UT Football and Basketball, etc, but in reality, we don't love these things. When you truly love something, you will sacrifice everything to protect that love relationship. I love certain desserts, but I won't give my life for a dessert. (Maybe for a piece of chocolate tuxedo cream from the Cheesecake Factory, but probably not). I LOVE Jennifer and Kaden. It's more than words. I hope it comes out in my actions, and I will do WHATEVER it takes to make sure they are aware of my love for them.
When it comes to God, why do we think we can treat this love relationship any different? Why do we love God like we love our favorite hobby rather than loving Him as someone who has made the greatest impact on our lives? When Jesus spoke of what it meant to demonstrate our love and devotion towards Him, He used some pretty tough phrases. Here you can read some of them for yourself...
Luke 14:25-33
John 15:20
Matthew 7:21-27
So, if the command that brings the MOST accountability is that we love God with all that we have, how are you doing? What needs to change in your life so that you can love Him more? I'm not talking about going to more Bible studies and church worship services. After all, Jesus didn't die so we could go to church; He died so we could be the church! How is your love for God going to OVERFLOW from your life? Do you treat God more like your Savior or like a part of your routine? Don't settle for shallow, self-focused, unproductive Christianity. Then, on the other hand, I don't think this is Christianity anyway. Live for more than normal! Love God and don't be ashamed about it!
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