RESPONDING TO GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE
Opening Worship: “Jesus We Love You” (Bethel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOExT9JqB7s
“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”’” — Mark 12:28-30
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. … Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” — John 14:15-17, 21
Does God’s Word stir in you a desire to love and worship Him with your whole heart and being? In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says the most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to love God with the utmost affection and devotion, more than anything or anyone. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells His disciples that if they love Him, they will keep His commandments. What joy there is in keeping God’s Word and seeking Him with your whole heart!
Prayer Prompt: Begin your prayer time by reading the Scriptures aloud and asking the Lord to quiet your mind and remove any distracting thoughts. Thank the Lord for instructing and teaching you in the ways you should go, and counseling you with His loving eye on you. Ask God to show you how to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to reveal to you anyone or anything that you have placed above your relationship with Him. God desires a deep and intimate relationship with you. Tell Him today that you love Him!
Additional Scripture: Matthew 22:37-38, Psalm 32:8, Psalm 119:1-3, 57-60, John 15:9-10, Jude 21
Journal: Take a few moments to reflect on and note what God is showing you through His Word about Himself and how it applies to you.