Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. A relationship needs to be cultivated, invested in, an actual part of your life. Do you have a relationship with God?
Deut. 4:24 describes the heart of God on fire. God's love became the color of blood. Desire the consuming fire of God to overtake you!
Ex. 20:5, I the Lord your God am a jealous God. God will not share space with anything else in your life! Anything else that is bigger than God is spiritual adultery. He wants be my One and Only! If we don't love Him first, we'll love anything. Sin is when something is more wonderful to you than Christ. It blinds you, and in the darkness you cannot see the beauty of Christ.
questions to ask yourself: Are there things in my life that are competing with my love for God? Is my love for God revealed in my love for others? Have I asked God to reveal sins in my life? Am I meditating on God's Word? Do I have any friendship with the world that is keeping me from loving God with my whole heart? How has God tested my love for Him?
So, how can you love the Lord practically? how can you know Him better?
- Bible reading
It is His love letter to us... like a real love letter, we would read it, we would really want to know what He's saying, we might even want to memorize it, or special parts of it. Think of God's Word that way.
- Quiet Time - it's by yourself, solitude, silence, listening, reading, journaling (write down what you read, truths God spoke to you, cross-references, paraphrase it, pray it), meditating, memorizing, prayer. Ask for a RHEMA (a word that He has for you, something that speaks to you, it stands out).
Verses to look up: Exodus 34:14, John 14:15, John 14:21, 1 John 5:3, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 1 John 4:19, Proverbs 8:17, Deuteronomy 4:29, Psalm 27:4
Develop the habit of praying. What is the best time for you to spend time in the Word? Pick a time of day, have a plan on what to read! Have a place for meeting with God away from others. It's a quiet-time! The devil's after the good, not the bad, to keep you from what is best. Abraham - Genesis 19:27 (Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord); David - Psalm 5:3 (My voice shall You hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto You, and will look up), Psalm 63:1 (O God, You are my God, early will I seek You...); Jesus - Mark 1:35 (and in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.).
It's setting your face-your focus-on God. Acknowledging His presence in your life and your need for Him.
the girls
making journals to use in our quiet times
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