Citing one passage on this subject falls so very short, but let's work with Matthew 22 for today.
"37 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. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The "great" and the "first" commandment says for us to behold Jesus! Jesus, the Lord, our God. Behold Him, first.
Then, after we behold Jesus, then we go love others, second only to that. We go love others more than ourselves.
Behold Jesus, then love others selflessly.
Simple, yes, complex, you bet!
As I write this I am literally asking our Lord God to teach me yet again. When I first behold Jesus, dwelling much with Him in pre-dawn awe, I can't help but love others better. Know what I mean? Aren't we better, nicer, kinder, gentler, more selfless; quick to care, to help, to listen, when we have been with Jesus first?
You see, as other parts of the Bible tells us very clearly, first we must behold Jesus, and then, out of adoration, praise and worship, and a profound sense of gratitude, we will say no to worldly pressures & pleasures, and say a hearty yes to things of God.
Love the Lord, our God, Jesus, with all we have, and then go and love others, in His Name, by His power, for His glory, and for their good, and for our good too.
I like it. How about you?
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Dwell Much With Jesus & We Will Have Time
Marthin Luther declared "“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Martin Luther was a very wise man!
Dwell much with Jesus, daily, throughout the day, steadily, joyfully, actively, and we WILL have time. Yes, it is counterintuitive; yes, it sounds impossible; yes, it will take re-prioritizing your life; and yes, it will be more worth it than we can begin to imagine!
The Apostle Peter knew that even time itself is in the sovereign hands of our Father as he wrote "do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Have you ever noticed how our days are more orderly when we first spend real time with Jesus? Aren't we kinder to people? Aren't we more accommodating, quicker to forgive or listen? Don't we find ourselves slow to anger when we start our day alone with Him?
This is not just speculation. It is cold, hard fact. For more than 20 years I have seen this to be tangibly true. Of course I stumble throughout the day, and you will too. Of course I groan or flare up in anger once in a while, as you will still do. But, over time, this consistent dwelling with Jesus changes our hearts, and our day to day lives with it.
Here is a little secret that not many know - when we first spend time with Jesus, He does something only He can do. He takes the same 24 hours that everyone has, He makes ours WIDER! That's right - WIDER.
He takes the same 24 physical hours, tick by tick, and gives each one more depth, more substance, more value. Do you see that too? Would you like to?
Do yourself a lifelong favor; test me on this; try it. Spend 15 minutes, 10, even 5 minutes of the beginning of your day simply loving and being loved by Jesus. Open your hands, palms up, surrendered, and tell Him you need Him, you trust Him, you are ready to serve Him today. And then go do what He reveals you to do.
Send me a note after you try this. I know you can because when you dwell like this with Jesus, you will, like me, really have the time!
Dwell much with Jesus, daily, throughout the day, steadily, joyfully, actively, and we WILL have time. Yes, it is counterintuitive; yes, it sounds impossible; yes, it will take re-prioritizing your life; and yes, it will be more worth it than we can begin to imagine!
The Apostle Peter knew that even time itself is in the sovereign hands of our Father as he wrote "do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Have you ever noticed how our days are more orderly when we first spend real time with Jesus? Aren't we kinder to people? Aren't we more accommodating, quicker to forgive or listen? Don't we find ourselves slow to anger when we start our day alone with Him?
This is not just speculation. It is cold, hard fact. For more than 20 years I have seen this to be tangibly true. Of course I stumble throughout the day, and you will too. Of course I groan or flare up in anger once in a while, as you will still do. But, over time, this consistent dwelling with Jesus changes our hearts, and our day to day lives with it.
Here is a little secret that not many know - when we first spend time with Jesus, He does something only He can do. He takes the same 24 hours that everyone has, He makes ours WIDER! That's right - WIDER.
He takes the same 24 physical hours, tick by tick, and gives each one more depth, more substance, more value. Do you see that too? Would you like to?
Do yourself a lifelong favor; test me on this; try it. Spend 15 minutes, 10, even 5 minutes of the beginning of your day simply loving and being loved by Jesus. Open your hands, palms up, surrendered, and tell Him you need Him, you trust Him, you are ready to serve Him today. And then go do what He reveals you to do.
Send me a note after you try this. I know you can because when you dwell like this with Jesus, you will, like me, really have the time!
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