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LOVING GOD WITH ALL YOUR BEING

INTRODUCTION

When we think of God being a consuming fire we need to realize what fire does.

Fire purifies what is precious. But fire also destroys what is worthless.

If we are honest with ourselves and before God we would have to agree that much of what we have done and are doing in our lives is worthless dross.

When I say that much of what we have done and are doing are worthless, I mean that we live much of our lives to ourselves without regard to what God wants in our lives. God gets the leftovers if there are any. However, God does not want the leftovers, He wants the firstfruits.

Examine your life today and see how much of what we do (even what we say we do in the name of the Lord), how much of it will count in eternity. Great is the amount of wood, hay, and stubble that we cling to in this life. God is looking for the gold, silver, and precious stones of a God-centered life.       (I Corinthians 3:11-15)

I ask you today, as God turns on his searchlight in your life, what does it reveal? When he blows his consuming fire upon our motives and our actions is there any gold, silver, and precious stones? Or are there only ashes?

God wants our total being to come into contact with His consuming fire now so that what is left will survive the consuming fire of the judgment seat of Christ.

This comes by living our lives in the conscience presence of God.

(Example–When I was a child sometimes I was in the presence of my parents without my being conscience of their presence. When I became conscience their presence I was more careful about my behavior than when I wasn’t aware of their presence.)

God is ever-present in our lives but how much of life do we live being conscience of His presence?

God is jealous over our allegiance to Him. Jealousy in the sense of envy for another’s possessions or privileges is wrong. However, when the Bible speaks that God is a jealous God it means that He is zealous to protect what is His. Jealousy in this sense is ethically right.

1 Corinthians 6:20 says that we are not our own for we have been bought with a price. Therefore we are to be true to Him and glorify Him with our bodies and our spirits which belong to Him.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is known by the Jews as the Shema (Hebrew word meaning “Hear”) and it is the national creed of Israel.

In Mark 12:29-30, when Jesus was asked by a scribe what was the greatest commandment, he answered by quoting the “Shema”

The Shema was repeated twice a day by devout Jews, who wore miniature copies of it sewed in little boxes called phylacteries to their clothes or nailed a copy of it to their doorposts.

It is still recited to this day as a national protest against every country and people who have more than one god, or who worship nature instead of its maker.

To our shame it is recited against our nation today, because we have become a nation of many gods.

Our churches are full of people whose lives are full of idolatry but don’t even recognize it.

Our hearts have gone after other gods--the gods of work, the gods of leisure, the gods of materialism the gods of cold, dead, orthodoxy and religion, the gods of whatever we put before God.

As Jeremiah spoke to the people of Judah in his day so we have followed the same path.

Jeremiah 2:11-13–“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. {12} Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. {13} For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

I.         WHAT IS OUR “HEART” AND “MIND?”

            It is obvious that we cannot love God with the organ in our chest that beats.

            When the Bible speaks of the heart it is talking about the innermost being of a person.

            When we express our desires, our emotions, and our feelings, we refer to them as coming

            from our hearts. What we mean is that they are coming from deep within us.

Where we “feel” these emotions physically within us is in the vicinity of where our physical heart is at. To love him with all of our thoughts and feelings is included in this.

II.       WHAT IS OUR “SOUL?”

The natural definition of the word “soul” is “the breathing creature.” This term may indicate not only the entire inner nature of man, but also his entire personality. That is, all that may pertain to the person of a man. The soul is what constitutes the person of a man.

III.      WHAT IS OUR “MIGHT” OR OUR “STRENGTH?”

            The words translated “might” in the O.T. and “strength” in the N.T. mean “acting or moving with great force” or “having

            or showing intense feeling; passionate.”

In other words our love for God should show itself outwardly in our lives by how we act and what we do and what we say.

            AND STRENGTH?

A.        When We Lean Unto Our Own Understanding When We Should Be Trusting In The Lord, It Proves We Don’t Love God As We Should.

Proverbs 3:5-7–“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. {6} In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. {7} Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

                        There is not a decision that we should make without the LORD.

                        Luke 6:46–“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Is He Lord of your life or not? If He is not Lord of All, He is Not Lord at all!

B.        When We Walk In The Flesh Rather Than Walk In The Spirit, It Proves We Don’t Love God As We Should.

            (Galatians 5:16ff)

James 1:14-15–“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. {15} Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Proverbs 23:26–“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

C.        When We Have Bitter Envying And Strife In Our Hearts, It Proves We Don’t Love God As We Should. (James 3:14ff)

1 Peter 2:1-3–“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

Ephesians 4:31-32– “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

D.        When The Word Of God Is Not In Our Hearts As It Should Be, It Proves We Don’t Love God As We Should.

Deuteronomy 6:6–“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:”

                        1.         We Can Carry The Word In Our Hand Without It Affecting Our Christian Walk.

We ought to carry the word of God with us, but it is not to be used as a good luck charm.

                                    Carrying the word of God does not make you Christ-like any more than

                                    carrying a tool box makes you a mechanic.

Psalm 119:11–“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

2 Timothy 2:15–“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2.        The Word Of God Can Occupy Space In Our Homes Without Being A Guide For Our Life.

                                    An unopened Bible is as useless as a compass in its case. It cannot give direction unless it is opened and read.

An unopened Bible is a testimony to life of defeat that is headed for tragedy.

3.        We Can Hide The Word Of God In Our Heads Without It Affecting Our Heart.

                                    Scripture memorization is great, we ought to do it. But we should let it

                                    affect our hearts if it is to do us any good.