God – A Word for the Week

Most Christians are familiar with the passage in Matthew chapter 22 and Jesus’ response to the question, Which is the great commandment in the law? His response was that we are to love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind. The gospel writer Mark adds to that list, all our strength. That is, we are to love God supremely. With everything that we are. We are to love Him completely.

But how do we know if we love God like that? I’m sure most Christians would say, Of course I love God supremely. But do they?

Can we define what it means to Love God supremely?

I don’t have all of the answers, but there is one part of the answer that I’m sure of and that is this: To Love God Supremely is To Love God the way Jesus Loves the Father.

We can widen that picture by saying it is the way each member of the Trinity loves all of the other members of the trinity. The way the Father loves the Son and the Spirit. The way the Son loves the Father and the Spirit. The way the Spirit loves the Father and the Son.

To love God supremely

is to love God the way

Jesus loves the Father.

In other words, the way a perfect God loves Himself perfectly.

That kind of love does not exist outside of the Trinity. Nevertheless it is our calling.

To love God the way that God loves Himself. That is a perfect love.

The fact that we will never be able to love God with a perfect love in this life is not a reason to ignore the command or to give up. We are still under an obligation to try. Our effort is as important as our progress. Without effort nothing will be accomplished. Some progress is better than no progress.

So we are to love. Certainly we are to love others, as the second part of Jesus’ answer makes clear. But most of all we are to love God.

When we love God supremely – when that is our desire and goal, when that is our effort, the other areas of the Christian life will fall into place.

Just Love Jesus.

Love Him with everything you have. Love Him with everything you are. Love Him most of all. Love Him above all.

Make loving Jesus your purpose. Your life’s ambition.

Make loving Jesus what your life is all about.

Stay in the Word

Pastor Steve

Waiting. It’s not something I do well. Just Wait. If I was honest with myself (and with you) I would have to admit that waiting is one of my biggest irritations. I don’t even like to wait on God (relax, He knows).

To make matters worse the idea of waiting is found throughout the Bible (apparently God has a sense of humor!). There are three primary meanings to the idea of waiting in the Bible: Waiting on God, lying in wait (to ambush) and waiting on someone as a servant.

The one we struggle with the most as Christians is the first one, waiting on God.

Those of us who live in America have been raised to expect things instantly. We have been programed to resist waiting. To be forced to wait goes against everything we have learned.

And to wait on God!

Why does God want

us to wait on Him?

But that’s exactly what we have been told to do (Psalm 27:14, 37:9, 37:34, Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations 3:26). Wait on God.

The question is, Why? Why does God want us to wait on Him?

I can think of a few reasons.

1. To demonstrate our weaknesses.

Waiting on God is sometimes necessary because we cannot do what needs to be done on our own. We are weak but He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9).

2. To teach us to trust.

We rush ahead because our eyes are not on Him. We need to learn that spiritual work is better done in His strength than in our strength. We need to learn to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

3. To put us on God’s time.

He has a plan which happens to be different from ours and is also perfect. We need to act on His time, not on ours (Galatians 4:4).

4. To prepare us for service.

We simply may not be ready to do God’s work. We need more time for God to shape and mold us (romans 9:21A).

The next time you become impatient with God, ask yourself, Why? Not Why Wait? But Why do I need to Wait? What is God doing? Remember, His plans are not without purpose. And they are the best for your life.

So just wait.

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

Stay in the Word

Pastor Steve