Key Verse:
He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”
Luke 10:27 NIV
What is being said?
A religious scholar approached Jesus and began to question Him. He was trying to force Jesus to make a mistake. Instead, his question gave Jesus the opportunity to teach a lesson about life. Jesus had seen his followers start to get caught up in their activities and good deeds. Jesus used a question about the Old Law to highlight the importance of service and grace.
Serving God is not about trying to be good enough or careful enough to not make too many mistakes. It is not about trying to give away enough so that you can feel generous. God asks for your total, focused commitment on Him. He wants all of our life and love, not just some of our talent and time.
What is Jesus saying to you?
God did not create you simply for good deeds, personal achievement, and attempts to live the best life you are able to live. Your existence is much more valuable than that. Also, God understands how hard life really is for you. He doesn’t want you to live on the roller coaster of pumping yourself up to be accepted and perfect, just to fall down in guilt when you make mistakes. You were not created to receive praise for who you are and how well you master life. You were created for God’s benefit and to bring glory to Him. You are to be His representative and His hand of help and healing to others. You can stop trying to get more love for yourself. True joy is in living to bring more love to God.
Example
We have all heard stories about athletes who take drugs, deprive their bodies, or depend upon crazy superstitions for the opportunity to succeed. “Whatever it takes,” becomes a catch phrase to these athletes that desire to win and be celebrated so badly that cheating and sacrificing their future seems acceptable. The personal glory of one victory or one record is worth more than anything else in life. They can even make it sound like their efforts are all for the sake of the team. However, trophies tarnish, records get broken, and they are busy again striving for the next moment for greatness and fame.
What does this mean to you?
You may not be taking drugs to win championships, but how hard are you working just to get affirmation from others? How much of your time is spent to accumulate praise and possessions for yourself? See the eternal picture. God wants people committed to loving Him with all their being. He loves you completely and has created you perfectly for His purposes. His direction leads to the best future you can possibly imagine. Turn your focus away from trying to secure things for yourself, and trust God. Choose to live for His sake, and let Him celebrate your life in His amazing ways.
How do you start?
Get your head in the game and keep it there. Life has its ups and downs, its victories and mistakes. Stay focused on the goal of loving God through it all. He is a big fan of faithful but imperfect people. Just like staying focused after a home run or a strikeout, you should stay focused on God when things go well or go wrong. Make loving God and living for Him your ultimate goal. Live by that, and you can know strength and peace in your life.
