« Merry Christmas! | Main | National »
A Thought for the New Year -
By John | December 31, 2008
From the Word: Loving God wholeheartedly (from Matthew 22:34-40)
” ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment of the Law?’ and He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.’ ” (Matthew 22:36-38 NASB)
As I read in Matthew this morning, I couldn’t help but recall a new year’s eve many years ago. I was a young enthusiastic follower of Jesus, and was attending a New Year’s Eve gathering of likehearted believers. At about 11:30PM, we were encouraged to take the next 15 minutes alone and ask God if He might give each of us a verse for the coming year. As I was praying, this passage came to mind, and I turned to it and to its companion passages, including Deuteronomy 6:4-9. When I considered whether this should be my verse for the next year, I realized that I could not tell God with confidence that I loved Him completely and wholeheartedly. I could tell Him that I loved Him, but I didn’t feel like my life backed up a claim to love Him with all my being. So that night I set as my goal, not for the next year, but for the rest of my life, that at some point in my life I would be able to say, “God, I love You with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind, and with all my might”, and be able to say that with complete confidence, knowing that the way I was living my life would be evidence of that declaration.
Over the years as I have come back to the Deuteronomy passage and its reiteration by Jesus in the gospels, each time I renew my pledge. With age my faults and weaknesses have become more glaring to me, and yet I never want to lose the focus of my commitment that night. O Lord, I dedicate myself to You again, that I may love You with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my might, and that my every thought, word, and action would be a testimony to my heart’s complete commitment. Amen.
(NOTE: By the way, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is my life verse.)
My prayer for you:
My prayer for each of you for the coming year: that you will grow in your love for God, and that He will show Himself to you in a very personal way. I also pray that as you respond to Him in love, your life will be an expression of a new and fresh resolve to live a life of gratitude and service for who He is and for what He has done for you. Amen!
Thanks.
To go to the website, click here or on the title.
To send me an email click here.
Topics: In the Word and Prayer |