Loving the Lord with our Whole Heart

Just how do we love the Lord with our whole heart?  The bible says we are to do this, and yet the cares of the world tug and pull on our hearts all the time.  Spouses, children, parents, close friends, all draw from the love in our hearts.  How do we give enough love to all those we care about and still love the Lord with our Whole Heart?

The Amplified bible says it this way in Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength.  This is the first and principal commandment.”

Then the next verse commands us to love our neighbor as ourself.  So how much love can we give out of this whole heart of ours and still give it all to God?

Well, I’d like to think about this as stated in the Amplified version, “out of and with.”  So we love “out of” our heart, and we love “with” our heart.  The bible says that God is love, and when Jesus saves us and sends His Holy Spirit to live within us, His love then becomes part of us.  This then enables us to have enough love to share “out of and with” our hearts, our souls, our minds.  What a mystery and a miracle!  Thank you Jesus!

Anyone care to share any additional thoughts or insights?

Daniel 4:2-3

“It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
his dominion endures from generation to generation.”
~ Daniel 4:2-3

Merry Christmas!

Seems it’s been awhile since I posted anything.  I seem to get lots of ideas but never when I am able to write them on this blog!  LOL  So, here it is almost the end of 2013 with Christmas upon us.  As I type this, I am sitting near my beautifully decorated Christmas tree and my wonderful ceramic nativity scene my mom and I made many years ago.  To me, these two things make my Christmas complete, and are the main decorating I’ve done this year.  Keeping life simple with only the important things this Christmas.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.  He truly is the greatest gift!

Merry Christmas one and all!  Have a blessed New Year too!

Diversity

Working at a secular university, I see and hear a lot about diversity these days.  It’s like the buzz word of the year or something.  Everyone is getting in on it, using it, flaunting it, striving to make it the center and focus of all they do.

Our God is a God of diversity.  He created each one of us, from every nation and tongue, different and unique, yet all the same in one way.  We ALL need a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus!

No matter where you come from, regardless of how diverse your background might be from mine, you are still the same as me in your need of a Savior.

In our secular world’s efforts to tolerate everyone’s diversity, we need to be careful as Christians not to lose the Great Commission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all those who do not yet know Him!

Let us be firm in our convictions even in the midst of diversity because everyone, no matter how diverse they may be, needs a Savior and His name is Jesus!

In John 14:6, Jesus states, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me.”

Promises of God from Revelation Chapters 2 and 3

Putting together all the verses that begin with To him who overcomes

  •   Rev. 2:7 – I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
  •   Rev. 2:11 – shall not  be hurt by the second death
  •   Rev. 2:17 – I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.  And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.
  •   Rev. 2:26 – , and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations…and I will give him the morning star.
  •   Rev. 3:5 – shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
  •   Rev. 3:12 – I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.  And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.  And I will write on him My new name.
  •   Rev. 3:11 – I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Wow!  Those are some awesome, amazing promises for US, His children!!

 

When God says NO

Well, here it is awhile again since I’ve written anything new on my blog. It’s been quite a busy time moving back into our home, making some of the “old” things “new.” We prayed and prayed over the two months we waited for our buyer to be able to buy our house, asking God to close the door to our move if it was not in His plan for us. Well, guess what! He did. He closed it. He did not allow things to happen for our buyer to buy our house and we needed to get back to life. God has other plans for us. Moving out of our home obviously was not one of them, and we are okay with that. He knows what is best for us for sure, and if we did something outside of His will, we would only regret it later anyway. So we praise His name that we have a lovely home, one we’ve always enjoyed living in, and we are happy to stay. But what a journey it was…Boy could I write a book about that! I won’t though. I just want to say, trust God, listen for His voice, always stay close to Him and be thankful when he closes the door to something that is wrong for you. Father really does know best!

Waiting on God

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything but I’ve been in the midst of trying to move, and what a trying time it’s been! Buyer with urgency, wanting to settle quickly. Ready to go, only to find out there will be a delay. Six weeks into the delay, still waiting. Trusting God, relying on God, knowing we walk in God’s favor and this too shall pass. He is teaching us many things through this time of waiting. We have peace; the peace the passes ALL understanding. Why do we need to go through this? Who knows! God knows! We will come out on the other side stronger, bolder, even more reliant on Him.

Glory be to God!! We love you Lord! We wait upon YOU!