Totally Loving God

How do you follow the Great Commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind?” As I pondered that question I was taken back to young love... not just my own, but the dozens of "love birds" I have witnessed through the years. I'm not sure that is love at all, because it is based primarily on feelings and worse... our own feelings! But, none the less... it was my first thoughts on love as a young gal. Maybe there is something in that first encounter that can steer us toward a better understanding of totally loving God....

Remember when your heart was first smitten and your heart beat was aligned with… him? All your plans revolved around him and you wouldn’t even think of making plans with anyone else on your traditional Friday night date night! Why, because you loved him with all your heart! 

Maybe there were some compromises in your values or some relationships that got pushed aside because he was all that really mattered to you. You would do anything to make your time together unforgettable so that he would know that he was the most important person in your life. All because you loved him with all your heart and soul.

He was on your mind all the time… even when you should have been focused on other responsibilities. You couldn’t think of anything else but him and all your thoughts were about the bright future ahead of you… with him. Why? You loved him with all your heart, soul and mind!

He… may be an ancient memory and life has moved you on. But, you remember all those feelings. So, what if you loved God like that? 

• Your plans would all revolve around making sure there would be time for HIM
• Your choices would all be based on wanting HIM to know that HE was your one and only
• Your every thought would revolve around HIM and the plan HE created had for your life.

Wow… that’s something to think about!

That first love... for me... became my only love. On Monday, it will be 41 years since he first help my hand at Lakeside Park and I knew we would be a forever "we."  Not because I was mature, wise or ready for a commitment of any kind, but because it "felt" right. After 3 years of dating and 38 years of marriage I have learned much about a committed relationship and that love is much more than a feeling... because feelings change, but a commitment is just that... a commitment to make time for each other, honor each other and include each other in all areas of our lives. 

Maybe the beginning of knowing how to love God well is learning to love each other unselfishly. Or maybe loving God well is what makes us better able to love each other completely. Either way... learning to love well makes us better and the world around us so much better! Let's do it!

"Lord, help us to understand what it means to love you and help us to submit to the transformation that needs to take place in our hearts, so that our love is truly selfless."

"Love the Lord your God 

with all your heart, 

with all your soul 

and with all your mind

. ...  and the second command is like it

... Love your neighbor as yourself..." 

Matthew 22:37-39

I 

Inside or Outside Transformation?

We are truly a people who invest greatly in outward appearance. According to stats reported by World Watch Institute, the amount of money still needed to provide water and sanitation for all people in developing nations is $9 billion. The amount spent annually in the U.S. on cosmetics is $8 billion. 

I made a vow some years ago that I would never spend more time in a day on my outward appearance than I would spend on time with Jesus - praying, listening, meditating, reading. I’m sure that there have been many bad hair days when I broke that vow, but I’m still committed to being more beautiful inside than outside.

The question is… how do we teach and encourage our children to care more about becoming a new creature on the inside when the world is constantly focused on outward appearance. The answer is simple… MODEL IT.  I’m not saying throw out your mascara, but I am saying that they need to see you as a transformed individual who walks with their God, allowing Him to shape you into who He created you to be and giving Him the credit for that transformation.

 “Lord, make us new so that our kids can see the transformation taking place as we submit to His will and are slowly but surely being transformed into His image.”

"I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do  ...  it is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!"                                                                                                                Galatians 6:14-15 (tm) 

A "Do Good" Marriage

What would your life feel like if your focus at home was to “do good?” What would your marriage feel like if your desire was to do good to one another? I’m guessing it is a rare occasion when our ambition is to “do bad” but when we get swept away in the busyness of life sometimes we find ourselves in survival mode and our focus is not focused at all! It is not our intention to bring harm, but if we lose our focus and drive to “do good” that is the only alternative. In relationships, neutral = bad. You cannot push your partner to the back burner for very long before your relationship feels the hit.

There are so many things that can be the cause of our failure to “do good” in our marriage relationships. Most of the time, we don’t even see them creeping in, and if we do see the warnings, we don’t take the time to resolve it because we are too mad, too hurt, or too busy. Before we know it there is a giant, painful wedge between us. There is only one way out of that mess, and that is to allow God to reset your heart to love unconditionally, reset your mind to see things from a healthier perspective (and not be defensive) as He brings healing and restoration. And finally, be committed to “doing good” at home, where it matters most.

It is highly likely that your children will look for someone who treats them as the two of you treat each other. If that scares you a little, you are not alone. We are all a work in progress, but if you want to grow into something that is amazing, you have to change the way you think about marriage. Be a giver, not a taker. Be a lover, not a hater. Be completely unselfish and watch the transformation take place.

 “God, rescue us from the mindset of the world and give us back the heart you created in us – the heart to love like you. Remind us that the most important place to demonstrate Your love is in our home, the training ground for Your Ambassadors to the world.”

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, 

especially to those who belong to the family of believers."  

Galatians 6:10 

Big Picture Parenting

In order to stick with anything for the long haul, it is important to see the big picture and know where you want to be at the end of the journey. Seeing the big picture is really the foundation of good parenting. If you know you have a marathon coming, you condition for it. If you know you have an exam coming you study for it. If you know you have hearts and minds to shape for a lifetime relationship with their Creator and Redeemer, you demonstrate for them what that looks like in your daily life. That is the most important thing you will EVER do.

Seeing the big picture in godly parenting means that you are shaping hearts to be tender and submissive to God and aware of His greatness. You will constantly – without any break at all - be teaching them to be respectful, caring, kind, generous, grateful, helpful, honest and looking to God for guidance in their lives… and you will be modeling these things in your own life.

If God is your best friend, worthy of your praise, your go-to for all your needs, the One you just can’t get enough of… you WILL be transformed and as they see that transformation, they will desire it for themselves.

If you are investing in your spiritual walk at about 50… or even 70%, don’t expect them to be devoted followers. They are learning nothing of the God who desires to be in first place, but seeing God and His plan as optional, weak and unworthy of their investment. You are the leader they are following. If you are totally committed to following the Leader, you have laid a great foundation for godly parenting.

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good.

 At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." 

Galatians 6:9 (nlt)

 “God, help us to cling to You tightly and not let go so that, as the kids watch us, they will learn the joy and comfort of clinging to You throughout their lives.”