Post by Courtney on Mar 11, 2014 12:29:00 GMT
Good Morning,
I was reading one of my devotionals for today and it hit the nail on
the head about what we are doing this whole challenge for, I hope this
encourages you like it did me - God sees what are working towards and is
affirming what He called Kia to lead us to do. Enjoy!
"Jesus replied:
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39
(NIV)
"I just want a boy to like me," she said with a sigh.
My heart understands
her desire. As I sat around my kitchen table with my small group of high
school girls, I realized again how some things never change.
We all want to be
wanted. Whether you're a girl wanting a date with the guy in math class
or a woman hoping for an invitation to lunch with a friend, each one of
us wants to be wanted. To know we matter. To be chosen.
Wanting to be wanted is
a good thing. It doesn't mean we're incredibly needy. It means we're
normal. In fact, God created us with this desire.
Here are two reasons:
1) So we would want a relationship with Him.
God created us for the
sake of love. He has so much love to share and He wants a relationship
with us. He chose us; now we choose Him.
2) So we would want relationships with others.
God also created us with the desire to share our lives with others, for friendships and family too.
Things get tricky and difficult when we reverse the order of these desires, which we easily do.
Whether we want to be
loved by a boyfriend/girlfriend, a friend or a husband/wife, when we go looking to "the
one" to meet our needs before we fall in love with The One, we can get
ourselves in a world of trouble.
Today's key verse from
Matthew confirms the importance of this order. In this passage, an
expert in the law asked Jesus the most important commandment. Jesus
answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-39).
Jesus is clear on the
order. The first command is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul
and mind. Then we are to love others.
God didn't intend for
people to fill our hearts with love. In fact, they couldn't even if they
tried! We aren't equipped to do a job that big, as God never wants
another to take His proper place.
When we love God with
all we have first, our love expands, multiplies even, and we have more
love to give to others. And that love is healthy because our hearts'
needs are met by Him first.
However, when we
reverse God's order and seek the love of others before God, our love
source and its purity diminishes. Then love can become self-focused and
unhealthy because our own God-designed needs aren't met.
God created a love gap
in us only He can fill. When we try to love others out of our human
love, we can run out of love. We begin looking to others instead of
overflowing on others.
God's order is best. Get filled by Him first. Spill over to others after that.
Lord, it can be so
much easier to look for love from those around me, those I can touch and
see. Help me to keep love in order by first loving You with everything
in me, and then allowing Your love to spill over on those around me. In
Jesus' Name, Amen.
I was reading one of my devotionals for today and it hit the nail on
the head about what we are doing this whole challenge for, I hope this
encourages you like it did me - God sees what are working towards and is
affirming what He called Kia to lead us to do. Enjoy!
"Jesus replied:
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39
(NIV)
"I just want a boy to like me," she said with a sigh.
My heart understands
her desire. As I sat around my kitchen table with my small group of high
school girls, I realized again how some things never change.
We all want to be
wanted. Whether you're a girl wanting a date with the guy in math class
or a woman hoping for an invitation to lunch with a friend, each one of
us wants to be wanted. To know we matter. To be chosen.
Wanting to be wanted is
a good thing. It doesn't mean we're incredibly needy. It means we're
normal. In fact, God created us with this desire.
Here are two reasons:
1) So we would want a relationship with Him.
God created us for the
sake of love. He has so much love to share and He wants a relationship
with us. He chose us; now we choose Him.
2) So we would want relationships with others.
God also created us with the desire to share our lives with others, for friendships and family too.
Things get tricky and difficult when we reverse the order of these desires, which we easily do.
Whether we want to be
loved by a boyfriend/girlfriend, a friend or a husband/wife, when we go looking to "the
one" to meet our needs before we fall in love with The One, we can get
ourselves in a world of trouble.
Today's key verse from
Matthew confirms the importance of this order. In this passage, an
expert in the law asked Jesus the most important commandment. Jesus
answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-39).
Jesus is clear on the
order. The first command is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul
and mind. Then we are to love others.
God didn't intend for
people to fill our hearts with love. In fact, they couldn't even if they
tried! We aren't equipped to do a job that big, as God never wants
another to take His proper place.
When we love God with
all we have first, our love expands, multiplies even, and we have more
love to give to others. And that love is healthy because our hearts'
needs are met by Him first.
However, when we
reverse God's order and seek the love of others before God, our love
source and its purity diminishes. Then love can become self-focused and
unhealthy because our own God-designed needs aren't met.
God created a love gap
in us only He can fill. When we try to love others out of our human
love, we can run out of love. We begin looking to others instead of
overflowing on others.
God's order is best. Get filled by Him first. Spill over to others after that.
Lord, it can be so
much easier to look for love from those around me, those I can touch and
see. Help me to keep love in order by first loving You with everything
in me, and then allowing Your love to spill over on those around me. In
Jesus' Name, Amen.
