THE LOVE COMMANDMENT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2023.

SUBJECT: THE LOVE COMMANDMENT!

Memory verse: "So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10 vs 27.)

READ: Mark 12 vs 29 - 34:

12:29: Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

12:30: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: This is the first commandment.

12:31: And the second, like it, is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

12:32: So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher.You have spoken the truth: for there is one God, and there is no other but He.

12:33: And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

12:34: Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.

INTIMATION:

God demands our love and service (total devotion) to Him, in sincerity of heart, not with eye-service, but doing the Will of God from your heart, with all your soul, might, and strength. Doing the Will of God is obeying His commandments passionately, that is, from your heart! This is called the “Great Commandment.”

The principle by which one must live life is summed up in love for God. If one loves God, obedience to His word will be the natural part of his life (John 14 vs 15; First John 5 vs 1 - 3). With such love one establishes a correct relationship with God by obedience to His Will. Love is the motivation by which law is put into action in our lives. In our relationship with God, we keep His commandments because we love Him. 

In relation to our behavior toward our neighbor, we deal justly because we love our fellow man as ourselves. Establishment of the principle in one’s life determines our relationship with our fellow man. Love of our neighbor is the foundation upon which our behavior toward our fellow man is directed. 

How do you know when you are serving God from your heart? The first telltale sign is enthusiasm; your excitement, and great interest in serving Him. When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you or challenge you, or check up on you. You do it for sheer enjoyment. You don't need rewards, or applause or payment, because you love serving in this way. This is exactly what God requires of us. Hallelujah!

The second characteristic of serving God from your heart is effectiveness. Whenever you do what God wired you to do, you get good at it. Passion drives perfection. If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you will excel at it. In contrast, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit.

God’s interest in the man’s heart is because the heart is the center of the man. Your heart reveals the real you—what you truly are, not what others think you are, or what circumstances force you to be. Your heart determines why you say the things you say, why you feel the way you feel, and why you act the way you do. The Bible, in Proverbs 27 vs 19, says, "As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man." 

The Bible uses the term heart to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. Your heart represents the source of all your inspirations—what motivates you, what you love to do, and what you care about most. Even today, we still use the word in this way when we say, "I love you with all my heart." It’s for this reason that God demands our heart (our passion) in loving and serving Him.

Our heart—our feelings of love and desire—dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy, hence God’s interest in our hearts. In Proverbs 4 vs 23, the Scripture says, "Keep you heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." It tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path—the path of God. 

When your heart is centered on God, your affections push you in the right direction—the path of God, and consequently, you put boundaries on your desires, and will not do or go after everything you see.

Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects you feel passionate about and others you could care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart. Your emotional heartbeat is the second key to understanding your shape for service. God gave each and everyone of us some inborn interests. Don't ignore your interests. Consider how they might be used for God's glory. 

Now, the question is, “What is your passion for God?” God wants you to serve Him passionately, not dutifully. Let the service come from your heart. The Bible repeatedly tells us to "serve the Lord with all your heart." People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about. God wants you to use your natural interests to serve Him and others. The reason you love to do those things you love doing is because you derive great passion in doing them. Listening to inner prompting—signals from your heart—that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have. 

Our affections and feelings must be directed toward what God would have us be in our lives. Our character must focus on God. All the intellectual capabilities of the Christian disciples also be focused on knowing God and His Will. All the physical and mental abilities of man must also be directed toward serving God. This is the first and great commandment because once one establishes God as the one who should reign in his heart, then everything else will follow (Matthew 6 vs 33). 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Will is that I serve You, and others with passion. Give me the grace to manifest fully in passionate service to You, O Lord, and to serve others likewise, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!