A question I ponder often. What would it truly look like if I could love God with all my heart, my mind and my strength? How would my reactions to others be different? “The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Yet, how? I so long to know and to live that. Despite that being my desire, I find myself at times distracted by the things of this world. A conflict, a response to others, a selfish thought, pain, sorrow, and my own failure of heart to love with that intensity anything. Though I know only God can transform my heart to look like His. But how long will it take? Sometimes it feels like forever.
It would seem at times that when more of His tenderness presents itself within my heart, it too reveals another area of stoniness. And I know that any failure to look like Jesus, is a failure of my loving Him fully as I should. Saturday, I went to the Holy Land Experience where the play was about Simon Peter. At the end, Peter ran forward singing a song to Jesus as he entered heaven and Jesus embraced him. That song spoke of God’s love, mercy and grace to one undeserving sinner and I wept bitterly for that portrayed me as well.
King Josiah was one whom the Bible tells us “like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him” (2 Kings 23:25).
Love God with All his Heart
King Josiah was only 8 when he took the throne, following his father’s death. His grandfather and his father before him help to build idols and promote idolatrous worship throughout the nation. They were evil and defiled the temple of God, appointing evil priests throughout. What could an 8-year-old boy do that was different. “in the eight year of his reign while he was yet young (16 years old), he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year (age 20) he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images and the molten images” (2 Chronicles 34:3).
Furthermore, he sought wise counsel. He removed all the evil priests and sent his #1 priest to seek counsel of a prophetess who told him of God’s plans to destroy Israel for her sin. Determined to do the right thing, Josiah began to restore the temple and there found the book of the law. Reading it, he fell before God with such sorrow of heart, realizing how wicked the people truly had become. Therefore, he prepared a sacrifice as had never been seen before. In fact, King Josiah provided lambs for all who could not afford to. He gathered the people together where the law was read day and night until all was read. Then he made a covenant with God to follow His commandments no matter what.
After his death, it is sad to say that the people again fell away from God; but for a moment King Josiah made a difference. So, the question again, how much difference could I make, if only I love God with all my heart, mind, and might?
Keys to Love God with all your heart?
- First must be to seek Him.
- Search His Scripture, day and night
- Recognize the depth of sin that lies within our own heart and the grace He has given us
- Pray always and in everything
- Lay aside self and seek to shine forth His glory to the world.
- Make His Glory your highest priority, laying aside all pettiness of heart
- Praise Him even in your greatest storms, knowing that He is perfecting your heart to one day truly look like His.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because, He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2019
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.Credits
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