"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…" —Isaiah 6:1
“What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification. Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
If I were to tell you that You must love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, you would most certainly nod your head in agreement or maybe even shout amen. Actually it was Jesus that said that, first. You know, it is important that we acknowledge the fact that we are not the first ones to say something. I often quote something I heard Dr. John Maxwell say. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!" A the time, he did not say that it was not original to him. At least I did not hear him say it. Actually the quote was by Teddy Roosevelt. Read Matthew 22:37-39. Jesus said that all the law .. the essence of the direction that God has given us to live and love .. the foundation of our life with respect to God and man is summed up in two commands … Love God, first and then love others next.
As you well know, that level of relationship is not automatic .. you can’t just flip a switch. It requires that each of us lay our own life down - daily. There is an old hymn that goes “All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live.” In John 21 Jesus asked Peter, three times, “Do you love me?” Recall Peter denied Jesus three times before Jesus’ crucifixion. We need to be careful about our attitude toward Peter – wondering “How could Peter deny his relationship with Jesus so easily?” We should be careful lest we go the “way of Peter”. When Peter denied Jesus he feared men more than God. Remember, Peter was on his own at that point. But after Pentecost, Peter was filled with the Spirit of God. The same Spirit that inhabits every Believer. What God asks you to do, you cannot do on your own … it is our spiritual nature that manifests itself in the natural. We tend to look at the natural … everyday living … as if it is separate from the spiritual .. it is not.
Everything we do, think, speak, and desire must be in the context of who God is and our love for Him. God’s expectation for that level of devotion is not reserved for the super-saints or the zealots …. It’s for me and for you. You want to know what’s missing in your new life? At the root, it’s the level of your love for God. So do you love God or merely like God. The answer to that question will determine the quality of your new life.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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