Several years ago, while reading the bible, I got stuck on Matthew 22:37. Jesus declared the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. I had been a Christian for ~ 25 years, was married and had three children under three. And yet, I had no idea what God meant by this verse. I wasn’t even sure what love meant. I dug into His Word searching for God’s definition of love. I prayed…Lord teach me what it means to love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
Three times in John 14, Jesus tells us if we love Him, we will obey His commands. From that point on, I started choosing to love Him. I chose to obey His commands. Funny thing happened, the more I chose to obey Him, the more my heart longed for Him. I began to feel love, after I chose to live love.
Small acts of love, led to larger acts of love. Until one day, we found ourselves in the middle of Africa. My husband Tim and I had journeyed with our four kids under 10 years. We laid hands on a water well, dedicated it to the One we love and asked Him to cast vision for our lives.
I remembered Isaiah says God’s Word will not return empty but will accomplish…the purpose for which He sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) I became convinced God uses us to accomplish His will. And more than ever I want to fulfill the purpose for which He has sent me.
When we choose to love Him by obeying His commands, we become the fulfillment of His Word. (John 14:15) That is where the adventure begins and our true calling is realized.
Learning to love God by living His Word leads us to fulfilling our purpose and discovering the abundant life He promised. He takes us to the most unexpected places, does the impossible and satisfies the deepest longings of our souls.
I’ve gotten a taste of it and I want to share it with you! Small acts of love that lead us to more than we could ever ask or imagine. Will you join me?