PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• When it comes to loving others, it isn’t always balanced. For example, it’s easy to take a parent’s love for granted but when you become the parent, the love for your child feels overwhelming. In other situations, love will feel mutual. And sometimes, it feels off balance.
Because God is love (1 John 4:8), His love for us will always be greater than our love for Him. It’s because of who He is. He is perfect in every way… greater, stronger, and more capable than we are.
Lest that seem unfair, I refer back to the parent/child love. Parents will arguably always love their children with a different kind of love. It’s deeper in a way because their love comes from a place of protection and nurturing from even before the child was born. It’s not a love based on “What can you do for me?,” but is based on “What can I do for you?” It’s not to say that the child doesn’t love his/her parent, but it’s just different.
Because we are flawed, selfish, and sinful beings, we will not always love perfectly. And yet Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37b, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (ESV).
So my question today is this: if someone asked you if you love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind—how would you answer?
Can you give a resounding, “Yes!”?
Or is your answer a mumbled, “Yes……”?
It’s a difficult question because if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer probably lands somewhere in the middle.
The best way to answer with a resounding “Yes!” is to be diligent in letting nothing—and I mean nothing—come before God’s place in your heart. That includes children, spouse, parents, siblings, and friends. When we commit that everything we do, think, say, or want comes second—and God comes first—that’s the beginning of truly loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds.
The second thing to ensuring that God comes first is through a heart of gratitude. If we take a few minutes every day to ponder Who God is, what He’s done, and how He loves us— our hearts can come before Him with humble gratitude that is presented with love.
We won’t be perfect at this every day, but our Heavenly Father who loves us perfectly can help.
Today, as you pray, thank God for His love for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you love God more than you love anything or anyone else.
