Deuteronomy 4-6; Mark 8
We have motivation to go all out for God. Simply remember how good He has been to us should be more than enough to make Him the center of our thoughts, lives, actions, words, etc. Moses wants to be very clear to the people never to forget what God has done for them. In fact, he tells them to treasure it so much, that they pass it down for generations. Have you considered giving your stories of what God has done in your life to your children and friends? Think of the impact you could have if you simply gave all of your glory to Him and shared it with all around you. Smile, and let people know why you smile so much. He is enough for you, and that is every reason to be joyful despite this world and this life.
There are so many things we can put between our hearts and God. Creating idols is more than just making statues and moldings, as you've read about throughout the Bible already. It can be anything from social media to a person you admire. Creating idols happens when you put something ahead of God and you seek it more fervently than Him. We all fall to this often. It is easy to get so wrapped up into other things like sports, family, careers, a mission to find someone, be someone, etc. that we forget to put God first in line. We get too tired to give Him even a percentage of our time. We get too worried to give Him a percentage of our finances. We get too busy to remember to ask His advice. None of the things I listed above are bad within themselves, but when we give to those things, we can't give our all to Christ. Fortunately, God tells us that if we search for Him with all our heart and soul, we will find Him. He will never abandon us, because we are the ones that have grown distant from Him, not the other way around. Give Him your all.
The way you live your life now will make a lasting impact on the family you leave behind. Giving Christ our all will set a standard for the generations to come. This isn't to say that they will for sure live by Christ, but the foundation will be there for them to decide how they will build on it. It's interesting if you look at the 10 Commandments, and see how they are sorted out. 4 of them, the first 4, are dedicated to how we should love God, and 6 of them on how we are to love others. If you have a heart that follows God, the rest on loving others will fall into place. If you live your life honoring anything but God, that is what your children will learn and notice about you. What legacy do you want to leave? One that gives it all to God and in turn pours out to others, such as your family, those in need, neighbors, friends, etc? Or one that gives your all to success, achievements, destructive things, etc, and teaches your kids that without those things they are nothing? God will show them how much they are worth more than anything else in this world can.
Bring Christ everything you have - including your concerns, big or small. We read that Jesus was concerned for the people who hadn't eaten in the crowd of 4,000. I know I get concerned with my feelings of inadequacy and clumsiness in this life. I feel dumb bringing them up so often. Yet God cares even about my smallest doubts, worries, and fears. We see as He takes the things that seem so small, such as the seven loaves and couple of fish in a crowd of 4,000 hungry people, and turns it into something miraculous. I have to chuckle when the Pharisees ask Jesus to perform a miraculous sign for them right after this. How many times do we begin to doubt Christ's ability in us after He has done something so great for us? The trouble is we try to see God's miracles as these HUGE things, yet He works miraculously in the tedious details of how things fall into place. How has realizing this and recognizing this in your own life made all the difference in trusting God with everything you have? Jesus warns His disciples that a little bit of evil can corrupt a whole person's heart, as He states with the yeast commit that the disciples didn't understand. Give your little struggles to God so He can protect you from them becoming large ones that take you over.
Jesus didn't come to receive glory and status, but to serve and to give. He tells us to lose our lives for Him, so that we may have life fully. This may seem counter-intuitive, but when you can honestly let go of everything this world offers you, including family, trusting Him to take care of it all, there is quite a freedom released within you. When you realize that all you need is Jesus in this world, it takes so much pressure off. However, if you try to hang onto things in this world, only giving Jesus half of your time and energy, you will get neither of them. Peter tries to cling to the life he has with Jesus on earth, without fully grasping the bigger picture of why Jesus came and what His mission is. When we fail to see the bigger picture and the ability of God, we lose out on His power. Give Him your all, so that you may experience Him fully and openly!
The essential part of today's reading come out of Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
Listen to ONLY God and value ONLY His opinion.
Love Him with all of your heart - a heart is what we use to think and feel with. It is an emotional symbol of us.
Love Him with all of your soul - the very breath you breathe - honor Him with it.
Love Him with all of your strength - Glory be to Him when you achieve anything. Give Him your all when the load is too much.
Commit yourselves wholeheartedly to His Word and His ways. - What you do will leave ripples behind, for good or for bad.
Repeat them, teach them, talk about them, write them everywhere - His Word, His ways, Christ in general should be what you center everything you are around.
Love God fully. Give Him everything. Experience Him completely in losing yourself in Him. There are so many other options in this world that can hoard what is His - our time, our finances, our agendas, our goals, our missions to be happy, etc. None of these are bad, but all must be put in the faithful hands of your Heavenly Father. Love Him with all of your heart, soul & strength. Lose it all for Him, and you will find everything you have ever needed.
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