Your Daily Devotional for August 30, 2007

 

August 30,  2007

 

 

Love Your God

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

 

Romans 13:8-9

 

 

George Matheson was only fifteen when he was told he was losing what little eyesight he had. Not to be denied, Matheson continued with his plans to enroll in the University of Glasgow, and his determination led to his graduating at age nineteen. But his spirit collapsed when his fiancée, unwilling to be married to a blind man, broke their engagement and returned his ring. He never married, and the pain of that rejection never totally left him.

 

Years later, as a well-loved pastor in Scotland, his sister came to him, announcing her engagement. He rejoiced with her, but his mind went back to his own heartache. He consoled himself in thinking of God's love. Out of this experience he wrote the hymn, "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" which says: O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths it flow, May richer, fuller be.

 

Yesterday we saw how God desires for us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. God has given us His Ten Commandments but He has also commanded us to love Him. We learned yesterday that we must make our love for God personal by spending time with Him each day and by having a correct view of His love for us. Today we will see how we can have a devoted love for God.

 

We can have a devoted love by loving God in each area of our lives. We have learned that He commands us to love Him with our heart, soul, and mind, but how exactly can we do that? How can we have a devoted love for God?

 

First, we must love God with our whole hearts. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." God desires for you to seek Him with your whole heart. It can often be easy to go about the day without focusing our hearts on God. We may get so busy or so caught up in our daily routines that we fail to focus our hearts on God. Love Him with your whole heart by seeking to please Him in all you do.

 

Second, we must love God with our soul. Psalm 34:2 says, "My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad." God desires that we would love Him with our soul by worshipping Him. We saw in God's fifth commandment that we should renew our spirit and strength each Sunday in God's house. Here we see that God desires that we would focus our soul on worshipping Him. We must take our time in God's house seriously and show Him our love by focusing on drawing closer to Him.

 

Last, we must love God with our minds. Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." God wants our minds to be stayed on Him. We must not let the thoughts and ideas of this world consume our minds, but we must be thinking on godly things. When we place God before all other thoughts in our minds, we show Him our love.

 

Do you love God with your whole heart, soul, and mind? Spend time with God now and commit to loving Him more today. Let Him be on your heart and mind as you go about your day today. Also, focus your soul on drawing closer to Him this Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 129-131 • 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

 

 

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