SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/6/2023 9:35 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “The Response of the Lord”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 22:37-40
Message of the verses: “37 Jesus answered
him, "’Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39
And there is a second like it: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ 40 The
whole of the Law and the Prophets depends on these two commandments.’”
(Philips)
I want to begin with the last statement that I wrote
in my last SD, and the reason is that the first part of this SD will present a
contrast to what I ended up in my last SD.
“Now as we look at Marks
account in 12:30 we see “‘And you shall love the LORD
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
This is the first commandment.”
Notice Mark uses the word strength in this verse. In doing this it does not express separate
and technical definitions of each element of human nature or a
compartmentalizing of love into three or four categories, but rather connotes
comprehensiveness. This shows us that we
are to love the Lord our God with every part of our being, and Mark tells us
that includes our strength.”
MacArthur then writes “On the other hand, the areas are
listed distinctly, each one proceeded by its own with all your. It is therefore helpful to look at some
distinctions in each of them in order to understand the fullness of what love
for God should include.”
At this time I want to look at what the ancient Hebrews
taught about the heart. They believe
that the heart referred to the core of one’s personal being. Let us now look at Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over
your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Now the
term soul is probably the closest to what we would call emotion and is the word
Jesus used when He cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He was
arrested: “My soul is deeply grieved, to
the point of death” (Matt. 26:38). Mind corresponds
to what is usually translated “might” in Deuteronomy 6:5. “The Hebrew term had a broad connotation and
carried the general idea of moving ahead with energy and strength. Mind is used here in the sense of
intellectual, willful vigor and determination, carrying both the meaning of
mental endeavor and of strength” writes MacArthur.
He goes on to write “Genuine love of the Lord is
intelligent, feeling, willing, and serving.
It involves thought, sensitivity, intent, and even action where that is
possible and appropriate. God has never
sought either empty words or empty ritual.
His desire is for the person himself, not simply what the person
possesses. If He truly has the person,
He inevitably has all that the person possesses as well. And just as God loves
us with His whole being, we are to return His love with our whole being. His love for mankind was so great “that He
gave His only begotten Son” for their redemption (John 3:16). Godly love, whether as His love for man or
man’s love for Him, is measured by what it gives, not by what it might
gain. It does not love because love is
beneficial but because love is right and good.”
At this time I want to say that I believe that we will be
in this section for a few more days as for one thing it is a very important
section in Matthew’s gospel as love is a very important subject in the Word of
God, for without this attribute of love that God has there would be no hope of
redemption for anyone ever.
I will end this SD trying to answer what God requires,
and what He requires is not just bare belief.
James tells us in his epistle that even the demons believe that God
exists; but instead of rejoicing in that belief they shudder as seen in James
2:19. I have different people tell me
when I witness to them that they do believe in God, and some of them say that
they believe in a higher power. James
tells us that is what the demons believe, as they have enough sense to realize
that it was God who created all things including the angels, and it was some of
the angels that followed Satan at his fall, and we now know them as
demons.
MacArthur writes “The distinguishing mark of saving
belief in God is love of God. Faith in
Jesus Christ that is not characterized by a consuming love for His is not
saving faith but simply an acknowledgement of His divinely such as even the
demons make.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: To love the Lord
with all of my heart and showing that I love Him with all of my heart is to do
the things that He has commanded me to do.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that the Holy Spirit will fill me so
that I can love the Lord and to love others.
9/6/2023 10:14 AM
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