“You can fail at many things in life, but don’t fail at love.”
👆🏽That’s a quote I heard yesterday during a transformational teaching about God’s love. As I digested the statement, I thought how it’s important not to fail at giving love, but also the reverse - receiving it!
The teaching surfaced in my thoughts as I read Jesus’s most important commandment of ALL time in Mark 12. He refers to the Shema, a prayer prayed by the Jewish people twice a day since the command was given by Moses in Deuteronomy 6.
It begins with an imperative to listen. The word carries depth, imploring the listener to allow Truth to penetrate the depths of the heart, permitting understanding to surface & a compelling response to follow.
He reminds us that there is one Lord God worthy of our love. He alone is deserving of a wholly devoted love that encompasses our heart, soul, mind & strength!
Unlike the Law that requires external obedience, the very fulfillment OF the law stands before the teachers of the law!
God loves us with peculiar love because it is often unrequited, but is always unfailing!
He loves us with a strong, superlative kind of love that surpasses ALL others!
He loves us just as we are.
👉🏽No need to clean up
👉🏽No need to pare down
👉🏽Not as we WERE
👉🏽Not as we WILL BE, but JUST AS WE ARE, He loves us!
His love is first & last! No other god is worthy of our affection. This God doesn’t require works for salvation. He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for the sins of all!
Y’all, can you imagine how lives might change if we remembered the Shema like the Jewish people?
When we keep Gods love & loyalty at the forefront, we don’t follow out of obedience or obligation, but simply out of grateful love for HIS love!
The greater we can receive His love, entirely & sincerely, the greater we can give it! The more we know God loves us, the more we are willing to take risks to follow His lead in love!
If there is any fear in our lives or hesitation to follow His lead, it’s probably an indicator that we’re resisting the fullness of God’s love. His perfect love casts out ALL fear! Oh, that we would feel the freedom to fail at anything, but His love! #OneYearBible
NUMBERS 4:1-5:31
MARK 12:18-37
PSALM 48:1-14
PROVERBS 10:26
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