Tag: love

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 6

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Read Deuteronomy 6 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ” :5 Beloved, all things fall into place as you obey this wonderful command.  Jesus sums up all the laws under this as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22, Luke 10).  

The Lord also reminds the Israelites they are moving in to houses they did not build,  drinking from wells they did not dig, etc (:10-12) and He cautions them to always remember it was the Lord who delivered them from slavery in Egypt into this life of plenty. 

Beloved, be very careful with the success and prosperity the Lord blesses you with.   It can be so easy to take credit and take your eyes away from Jesus.  Remember and talk about the good things God has done in your life and teach it to your children. So often the next generation gets lost as they grow up expecting the life they had without understanding these things stem from walking closely with God…. In other words,  getting the number one commandment right.

Beloved, as you read, consider what a love letter these commandments are.  If you feel so much as an inkling of shame for falling short, change your dialog to one of confession, celebration and joy – Jesus paid your debt.   You have a Savior and Redeemer in Him.  

Daily Word

Mark 12

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Reflections on Mark 12 – I love this chapter!  There is much to reflect on, but the verse that truly changed my life is in the section :28-34, and :31 in particular.  Do you have time for a little testimony, Beloved?  

You see, when I started walking with Jesus in full measure, I fully understood and loved the number one commandment to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength; :30.  And I thought I was doing an impressive job with the second commandment, to love my neighbor as myself, because I wrongly thought I loved others more than myself.  I carried a lifelong burden of insecurity.  It ruled my life; I was constantly making self-deprecating comments to show others that I held them in higher esteem than myself… Do you know what the truth behind this lie is?  Insecurity was my idol; it came before God, and it devalued His gift of my life.  It kept Jesus’s gift of my Salvation subdued.  It was like getting a gift and loving it, but putting it in the back of the closet for safekeeping… To honor the giver is to delight in the gift.

You can imagine my joy when the Holy Spirit finally helped me see this!  The reality was that I wasn’t truly loving others – I was desperate for approval.  It’s a very hard way to live and a very hard thing for others to be around.  It was not the life Jesus died to give me.  

Beloved, the freedom of this realization was transforming for me!  “The thief came to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  John 10:10  The more I delight in Jesus, the more I am able to delight in my life and the more love pours out on everyone!  That is the heart of ‘loving my neighbor as myself’.  Hallelujah!

Mark 12 covers many wonderful teachings of Jesus, The Parable of the Evil Farmers, shows the wickedness of the religious leaders.  The trick of Taxes for Caesar was a ploy by those same leaders to trap Jesus.  And the beautiful Widow’s Offering, :41-44, reveals how much Jesus treasures the heart behind the offering.  Beloved, which of these parables or verses was Jesus’s gift to you today?

Daily Word

Genesis 24

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Read Genesis 24 – Be ready to be swept off your feet!  This is one of the most romantic chapters in the Bible. 

Abraham is very old when he summons his head servant and requests he find a wife for Isaac from the homeland.  The servant (we are never given his name) is concerned that the bride and her family may not allow her to travel so far away.  Abraham sets the condition that his servant will be released of his oath if that happens, but that Isaac is NEVER to go there. 

Notice the servant’s reverence for the LORD and Abraham.  He prays when he arrives in town, he prays quite specifically, and before he finished praying in his heart, Rebekah appeared.  (This is one of the few silent prayers recorded in the Bible.) 

I’m not going to tell too much of the story. You simply must unwrap it for yourself!  As you read, consider the symbolism of Father in Abraham, Son in Isaac, and Holy Spirit in the unnamed servant. 

Our chapter ends with verse :67, “And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife.  He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.” 

Beloved, ‘he loved her deeply’, it’s so precious.  This was an arranged marriage, but it was truly love at first sight.  And Rebekah immediately steps into the role with comfort, being exactly the right help-mate to Isaac.  May you also trust in the Lord completely.  May you ask for the desires of your heart and be open to the awesome ways Jesus will meet you there.  Commit everything you do to the LORD!

Daily Word

1 Kings 20

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Read 1 Kings 20 – Oh!  The Lord’s great love is immeasurable – King Ahab of Israel is in some hot water when threatened by King Ben-hadad of Aram.  His first inclination is to concede his wives, children, gold and silver (20:4), but then King Ben-hadad asks for even more, and Ahab gets oddly courageous.  Remember, he is a wicked king, not walking with the Lord.  Yet, after he takes his stand, a prophet of the Lord tells him the Lord will give him victory – stating, “Then you will know that I am the Lord.” The battle is won, and the prophet tells Ahab to prepare because another is coming in the spring.  In that battle, the Bible says the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats compared to the vast Aramean forces.  Yet, again the Lord will secure their victory so that they know God is the Lord (20:27-28).  Beloved, God will go to incredible lengths to make Himself known to you.  Romans 5:8 assures, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  If you are walking in arrogance like King Ahab, thinking your sin is either unforgivable or no big deal, let today be the day you turn to Jesus.  His arms are open wide.