My Bill looked at me as we were driving in the truck (some of the best conversations are while driving) and asked me, "Isn't it amazing that we aren't asked to love God, but we are commanded to love God? He has been reading the book of Mark recently and it has brought up some very interesting subject matter.
Bill's question quickly sent me back to over four years ago when my Dad was dying. About a month before his death, my sister Michelle and I were talking to him and my Dad wept and told us, "Love the Lord with all your heart -- nothing else matters." It was the last of our "real" conversations with him as he was quickly dying.
After he died, I have to admit that I didn't love the Lord with all my heart. I wasn't trying to and I didn't know how to. However, after hearing a service in which the pastor encouraged/pleaded with the congregation to READ the Bible so we could fall in love with the Lord I was hit on the head with exactly how to LOVE. So I started reading (from the beginning) and have to say, I was terrified and fearful of the power of God! I told Bill I would never read the Old Testament again (so similar to all the headlines in the news today which I do like to read either). Okay, I probably will read it again, but it was quite a bit more intense than I expected.
So move on over to the New Testament and you'll find more brutality and human cruelty. However, move over to the ever popular 1 Corinthians 13 and you'll find HOW to love spelled out quite clearly. Read it. It's something that I've heard all throughout my life, but now know that I am "nothing" if I do not have love. Love is just a word, but love spelled out and made into an action verb is quite different.
Well, I don't mean to preach. I am flawed. Quite imperfect (anyone will tell you that). But I do love and love deeply (though never perfectly)! I hope that by writing this, you'll pursue love along with me. How wonderful to love the Lord, your husband, your children, your family, your neighbor with actions and not just words. I can't command you to do this, but God does.
Thank you, my Bill, for challenging me and conversing with me. It's so nice to have someone to learn alongside and grow with.
2 comments:
And thank you Vicki for writing about it. Honestly, I haven't tried very hard to love God since Dad died. Thanks--I needed that motivation to learn to love God with all my heart.
Awh you girls are so sweet and special! We are ALL so busy to WANT to do this daily but I have found that the more I'm learning the more I long and want more. I'm not perfect either but I think it makes the Lord happy to know that in our busy and hectic days our hearts want to love Him! He knows our hearts! You girls are awesome!! You don't give yourselves enough credit!
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