DaySpring Daily Word of Inspiration: Mark 12:30 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
How much to you love your parents? How much do you love your spouse? How much do you love your children? Now I know that most of us have been tested by these wonderful people in our lives….continually, but we still love them nonetheless. With that in mind, how much do you show it? Do you only show it when they show you? Do you show it when it feels right? Do you show it only when other people are around? Do you show it when they hurt you? I think it’s safe to say that we can sometimes be conditional with our love; how we display it, when we display it, and if we’ll display it. So the main topic question from all of this has been formed: IS THAT REALLY LOVE?
As we look at what love is we have to see the example that Christ gives us so we can know how to love biblically and unhindered. Greater than this is to be able to have that reflect in your relationship with God. Some may feel this is hard to do but in reality it’s not if you use the test subjects he’s put in your life as practice on!! Oh yeah, God’s got you covered again – He’s never going to ask you to do something that He’s A) never done, B) not equipped you to do, or C) knows is too much for you to handle. This is such an extremely important fact to consider (please meditate on this). God puts people in our lives so that we have a chance to invest in making this particular scripture come true. The way we find out how to love God with every fiber of our being is through people.
The bible says (and I’m paraphrasing) how can you not love your brothers and sisters whom you see (daily) and yet say you love God whom you’ve never seen (1 John 4:20)? It would suggest something powerful that we need to be able to apply to our lives. The people we claim to love in our lives have an important significance in our lives and showcase a lot about our love for God. There is a direct correlation between how we love other and that being reflective of how we love the Lord.
When we invest in people with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we are actually creating in us the ability to love God in the same manner! People are God’s test subjects to becoming a master lover of Christ! We don’t know how to love God in the manner he deserves if we can’t first love his creation He’s put around us love. The easier it is for us to love our parents, friends, and children and spouses unconditionally, the easier it will be for us to love God with every ounce of breath in our bodies!
Today, we pray that the focus on people in our lives has been revamped and takes on a new significance. Instead of being fed up with, completely done with, or totally biased towards the people in our lives – let us see them as opportunities to show the love of Christ from within us and ultimately be the preparation for us being able to serve God, invest in his will for our lives and obey Him in total love no matter the circumstances. Think of it like this, have you done anything that God should not love you for??? Thank God he still loves us in spite of! How much more should we do the same in following his example as exhibited by and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? How will you begin loving God today? Think about it…. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!