Loving God

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SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Deuteronomy 6:1-5

1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it. 2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

MORE LESSON: Revelation 2:4–5

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Tuesday, 7 October

Memory Verse: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Matthew 22:37

Perhaps the most important factor for successful human existence on earth is loving God. The moment humans become aware of their existence on the planet they begin to fall in love with many things. People can fall in love with their environment, a particular sport, fashion, food, culture and a host of other things, but the greatest is to fall in love with the Maker of all things.

Someone approached Jesus with a question intending to know the greatest of all the commandments and the Lord replied him saying, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy might. Matthew 22:37 As a follow up, Jesus added that there is a second commandment as great as the first, which is to love one's neighbour as dearly as oneself. Amazingly, these two commandments are interconnected. 1John 4:19 – 21 confirms that you cannot claim to love God while hating your brother. In other words, our love for Divinity is directly transferred to humanity.

In another place Jesus says, If ye love me keep my commandments. John 14:15. The acid test of our love for God is keeping His commandments and we know that His commandments are not burdensome because we obey them in love. It is therefore obvious that the absence of love will make life and living a burden. The clarion call for us as believers is to do everything within our abilities to walk with the understanding that love conquers all. It is definitely a wise decision to always 'up our love level' for God.

Living in this end time, one of the strategies the enemy uses to limit our strength is to ensure that he engages us in such a way that our love for God will grow cold. The daily struggles, difficulties and challenges we face are meant by the devil to diminish our love for the Lord and the things of God. Iniquity abounds before our very eyes and the love of many is waxing cold (Matthew 24:12). The time to cry out to God for help concerning our love for Him is now. The cry should be that Jehovah must restore us back to the place of our first love for Him.

Prayer/Action

* Ask the Holy Spirit to help you not to let your love for God grow cold.

* Declare, I receive oil in my lamp to keep me burning for God.

* Pray against every fire extinguisher in your life.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: This October, my path shall shine more and more to the perfect day, in the wonderful name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved