Volume 2023: Edition 18
Food for thought: Do We Truly Love God?
Hello everyone, and welcome back. We would like to thank you for your patience with the inconsistency of our posts this year as we try to create a scheduled flow. We will be trying to gradually add onto our posts so we hope you will continue to learn and grow with God's word with us.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
(Deuteronomy 6:5)
Love is something everyone seeks. It is a concept so vast that it is and can be interpreted in every imaginable way. The very word “Love” is used in many different ways and shown in many different forms. It is defined as: a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; warm attachment, enthusiasm, devotion; the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration.
When I read Deuteronomy 6:5 and ask myself the simple question: what is Love to me? Have I ever loved my Lord, my God with all my heart and soul? It’s a question I know the answer to. If I answered truthfully, without hiding the inner me to look good to others; without the fear of judgement, the answer is no.
Love seems to be the easiest thing to display, give, and take away. And yet, when I read the definition of love, I know in my heart that I have love with limitations and expectations.
In order for me to truly love I must Love God first, put Him first, and surrender all of me to the one who created me.
After pondering this verse, I understood why King David would write down these words:
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."
(Psalm 51:1-2)
In King David’s time of despair and shame, he knew that no earthly love or desire could calm his spirit for what he had done. His heart was seeking redemption and a true love. King David was searching for that attachment, that personal tie to a true love to heal his pain.
When I think of it that way, I understand that pain, that search. I have lived loving everything this world has to offer, and not once stopped to love the one who created this world; who created me; who gave me this life to live. I have taken God’s love for granted.
When I truly sit and think about it, the hardest thing to do is to love God with all my heart and soul. The world offers everything you could ever desire and every distraction you could ask for in replacement of the true love of God.
So, I ask this question, how can I truly Love? Jesus answered it:
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:11-13)
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so, we know and can rely on the love God has for us.
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God; and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us."
(1 John 4:15-19)
Love.
Just some food for thought…
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Upcoming Events:
Special Prayers:
Pray for the Bachicha Family and the loss of their family member for Comfort and Peace
Pray for Rachel for her health and the healing of her back and knees.
Pray for Elizabeth that the Lord continues to do miracles on her body.
Pray for our Newsletter that we can continue to write through the Holy Spirit
Pray for our church to continue to be blessed.
Weekly Devotional: Great Is His Faithfulness
How often do you take time to pause and revel in how faithful God has been to you?
Recognizing God's good help to you is important. It's when you remember His unceasing care that you are reminded He will carry you through every situation in life, no matter how bad. It was God's faithfulness in adversity that led King David to write:
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of the pit, out of the miry clay; and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth - praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord."
(Psalm 40:1-3)
The Lord has pulled you out of many "horrible pits" and established your steps before you even thought of taking them. Never forget what He has done for you and never turn away. He is deserving of all your praise, and may His faithfulness embolden you to share your faithfulness in His words and His promise with others. Amen.
George, Jim. One-Minute Insights for Men. Harvest House Publishers, 2013.
Verse of the Week:
"He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord."
(Psalm 40:3)
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (970)405-3053
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