COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

“The king rejoices in Your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories You give!... Surely You have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence.”  (Psalm 21:1,6 NIV)

“Count your blessings” is a popular phrase I’ve never related well to. The moment I try to list all God has done for me, I realize how woefully short my efforts fall. I can thank Him for my salvation, for the blessings of home, relationships, work, and ministry. But I know His grace extends far beyond that. Even if I spent a week, I could hardly cover everything adequately. And when I came to an end, all I’d have would be a mechanical list -- the exercise itself would take the delight out of my praise.

Yet even joy-filled King David didn’t attempt to cram all God’s wonders in a single hymn. Though he rejoices throughout Psalm 21, he hardly describes everything God has done for him. The king’s adulation rings through much of the psalter -- as if he couldn’t contain it in one place or time. But his masterful adoration is more than a list of thank-yous. David knew a secret of thanks it took me a while to uncover. Real thanks are tied to the nature of God. Here David offers gratitude to his Lord for specific blessings in verses 1-6 and ends describing God’s eternal gifts. All the psalmist’s joy cannot be separated from his Master’s presence. Without God, the king understands, even the richest gain would be empty. To know God deeply is the greatest blessing of all, and intimate knowledge comes with a lifetime of loving Him.

So instead of detailing every benefit God provides, like David I’ll thank Him for a few big ones today and spend time basking in His love. As I look closely into my Lord’s face, I can’t help but delight in His presence. 

-- Pamela McQuade, from “Daily Wisdom to Satisfy the Soul,” published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

#6371

LIVING WISELY

“Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times.”  (Ephesians 5:15-16 NCV)

Life is filled with opportunities -- and obstacles that can prevent you from grabbing hold of them. The secret to making the most of your life lies in making the most of your time.

The first three words of this verse hold the key: be very careful. In the original language, this admonition is much stronger and fuller than what sounds here like a mother’s passing comment to her kids as they head outside. The words describe a way of living -- or “walking” as the Bible often describes it -- that is precise, accurate, and deliberate. It involves both forethought and a heightened sense of awareness. It’s similar to the way you drive a car. You need to be constantly attentive, responding to the ever-changing situations you find yourself in. You swerve to avoid hazards, brake for pedestrians, and follow the rules. Your skill, knowledge, and vigilance help you make wise decisions at a moment’s notice.

To live wisely you need to do the same thing. You need to face each day spiritually alert. You need to recognize evil, so you can avoid it like a dangerous hazard in the road. At the same time, you need to slow down and be on the lookout for opportunities to show love to others and to God -- and to grab hold of those opportunities. The good news is that God is in the car with you. His Spirit will help guide your daily journey toward a life full of well-utilized opportunities. 

-- Adapted from “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#6282

IN THE SHEPHERD’S CARE

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

The Twenty-Third Psalm is familiar to many people because they’ve heard its comforting words recited at the funeral of a loved one. Though the rest of the psalm carries peaceful images of the Lord as a shepherd, green pastures, quiet streams, and an overflowing banquet table, verse 4 is the heart of the psalm and is one of the Bible’s most powerful truths to combat fear.

In the original Hebrew language, “the valley of the shadow of death” literally translates into “the valley of deep darkness.” Death is only one kind of “deep darkness.” There are many other dark times people fear to pass through, such as illness, unemployment, or rejection. The landscape of some valleys is not carved out of actual circumstances but out of fear itself. Being afraid of what misfortune the future may hold can keep you stuck in the darkness of depression and anxiety. It prevents you from walking through the valley to the other side.

The secret to alleviating fear is remembering that you never have to face your fears alone. Your Good Shepherd, the all-powerful God, is right there with you, rod and staff in hand. A shepherd uses a rod to protect his flock from predators. He uses the staff to guide stray sheep back onto the proper path. God figuratively uses these shepherding tools as He keeps you safe and headed in the right direction. By staying close to Him, you’ll discover comfort and courage close at hand when you find the struggles of life, and death, directly in your path.

At the first hint of fear, picture God as your loving shepherd, fighting off whatever you fear with His rod and nudging you closer to Him with His staff. 

– From “100 Favorite Bible Verses” 

#6146

WITH ALL YOUR HEART

“The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)

Sometimes our minds interfere with our hearts.  Logical objections get in the way of compassionate actions.  It’s not my responsibility.  I’m certainly not suggesting that you shouldn’t count the cost.  You should.  But if God is speaking to your heart, don’t let your mind get in the way of what God wants you to do.  Sometimes loving God with all your heart simply means listening to your heart instead of your head.

What does it mean to love God with all our hearts?

It means our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God.  It means we have identified the God-ordained passion that makes us glad, sad, or mad.  It means inaction is not an option, because the compassion of Christ is the driving motivation of our lives.

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#6051

BEING GREAT AT THE GREAT COMMANDMENT – Part 1 of 2

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 NIV)

We’re not great at the Great Commandment.  In too many instances, we’re not even good at it.

That, I believe, is our primal problem.  That is the lost soul of Christianity.  If Jesus said that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the most important commandment, then doesn’t it logically follow that we ought to spend an inordinate amount of our time and energy trying to understand it and obey it?  We can’t afford to be merely good at the Great Commandment.  We’ve got to be great at the Great Commandment.

The quest for the lost soul of Christianity begins with rediscovering what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Jesus used those four kaleidoscopic words to describe four dimensions of love.  And there is certainly overlap among them.  It’s hard to know where loving God with your heart ends and loving God with your soul begins.  But one thing is sure: loving God in one way isn’t enough.  It’s not enough to love God with just your heart or soul or mind or strength.  We are called, even commanded, to love Him in all four ways.  Think of it as love to the fourth power.

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity” 

#5936

EXPERIENCING GOD’S LOVE

Before we can love others, we must feel and understand how deeply God loves us. Ephesians 3:17-18 says, “I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves.” (The Living Bible, emphasis added)

Circle the words feel, understand, and experience in that passage. God wants us to feel His love, and He wants us to understand His love. Why? 1 John 4:19 says that we love because God first loved us. Why is it important to feel loved by God? Because unloved people are often unloving people. When I do not feel genuinely loved, I do not feel like giving love. So first we have to experience God’s love ourselves. Jesus said, “Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) That is the model. 

-- Rick Warren in “God’s Power to Change Your Life”

#5783

REBUKE FROM A PROPHET

"A man who says he loves God..."

One time, twenty or so years ago, I was in Japan on a speaking tour with a close personal friend. He was a number of years older than I was. As we walked down the street in Yokohama, Japan, the name of a common friend came up, and I said something unkind about that person. It was sarcastic. It was cynical. It was a put-down. My older friend stopped, turned, and faced me until his face was right in front of mine. With deep, slow words he said, "Gordon, a man who says he loves God would not say a thing like that about a friend."

He could have put a knife into my ribs, and the pain would not have been any less. He did what a prophet does. But you know something? There have been ten thousand times in the last twenty years that I have been saved from making a jerk of myself. When I've been tempted to say something unkind about a brother or sister, I hear my friend's voice say, "Gordon, a man who says he loves God would not speak in such a way about a friend."

Prophets do that. They remind us of the truth and where we are falling short. If you avoid prophets -- and a lot of people do -- you do so at the peril of your spiritual journey. You and I need [friends who are] prophets.

-- Gordon MacDonald in a sermon titled "Feeling As God Feels"

#5656

LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”  (1 John 4:20-21 NLT)

The social gospel is not an addendum to the gospel; it is the gospel.  If we read the Gospels, it becomes clear that it was not what Jesus said about God that got Him into trouble (but) His treatment of men and women, His way of being friendly with outcasts with whom no respectable Jew would have anything to do.  It has always been fairly safe to talk about God; it is when we start to talk about [humans] that the trouble starts. And yet the fact remains that there is no conceivable way of proving that we love God other than by loving [others].  And there is no conceivable way of proving that we love [others] than by doing something for those who most need help. 

-- William Barclay in “Ethics in a Permissive Society” [1971] 

#5417

WITH EVERY FIBER

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30 NIV)

In his book “The Everyday, Anytime Guide to Christian Leadership,” Walt Kallestad wrote, “I saw a plaque in a shopping mall that contained the words of the great [Green Bay Packer] football coach Vince Lombardi on what it takes to be number one. The words on the plaque reflected the importance Lombardi placed on enthusiastic participation. I remember the plaque reading something like this: Every time a football player goes to ply his trade, he’s got to play from the ground up -- from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads, that’s OK. You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.”

I believe that concept similarly applies to our walk with God. It involves every inch of the Christian -- one’s heart, soul, mind and strength. We are to love God with every fiber of our being. 

-- David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

#5401

BECAUSE WE LOVE JESUS

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30 NIV)

Sometimes as I think about the accomplishments of others, just for a moment I wonder, “What if…?” But then, almost immediately, I’m reminded that God has given me my own unique purpose in life.

Psalm 23:3 says, “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” To find and follow those paths, to work out His purpose for our lives, will require reading and studying God’s Word and praying about how it applies to us. It will involve obedience and service. Not because we have to but because we love Jesus. That’s the path He has laid out before us.

With all your heart just follow Jesus. From personal experience, I can assure you, you’ll be blessed. Satisfied. Fulfilled. He will never mislead you. He will lead you right. Follow Him! 

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus: Daily Moments in His Word”

#5005

LEARNING TO LOVE

Jesus declared: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  (Matthew 22:37-39)

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love God and [neighbor] by loving.  Begin as a mere apprentice, and the very power of love will lead you on to become a master of the art.

-- Saint Francis of Sales (1567-1622)

#4927

GOD’S WAYS AND PLANS

Even the casual or uninformed reader of the Bible can see that God’s ways and plans are different from those of people. God uses Kingdom principles to accomplish Kingdom purposes.

God’s ways are redemptive, loving, and compassionate. His ways bring cleansing and forgiveness and build people up. His ways bring humility. His way is the way of service and love. God does not simply wait to help us achieve our goals for Him. He desires to accomplish His own purposes through us -- and in His own way.

God said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways” (Isaiah 55:8). We will not carry out God’s plan with our methods. This is one of the basic sin problems people face: “We all went astray like seep; we all have turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6). It is foolish to think we can accomplish God’s work by using the world’s methodology and values.

-- Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby and Claude King in “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”


#4774

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWING ABOUT AND KNOWING

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”  (John 17:3 NIV)

The church does not lack people who know about Scripture.  It does not lack good and faithful people who know the rules and try to follow them.  The church lacks sufficient numbers of believers who know first-hand the love of God.

There is a long distance between knowing about someone, and knowing them.  I know about many; I know few.  This principle is infinitely true with God.  Churches are places where we learn about God.  But what about knowing God and receiving God's abundant healing love?  It is exactly here where what we are doing is too often not working.

The common Christian experience is like a person who is invited to a buffet table the length of a football field.  Most invitees start on the end with the snacks and finger food, and they seem to get full and stop before experiencing the full spread. Many get to the salad bar, but few move on to the most nutritious and delicious foods.

Until many of God's faithful come to know God and be filled to overflowing with God's healing love, churches will decline and decay.  If a full measure of God's love radiates from us, nothing can contain our explosive impact upon the world.  If we fail to catch something spiritually contagious and joy-filled, nothing can stop our fall.

-- Larry Malone in “UM Men's Magazine, Spring 2004”


#4764

THOSE WHO LOVE GOD

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30 NIV)

Those who are filled with an earthly love are ever thinking of the object of their attachment, their heart brims with affection for it, their mouth is full of its praises... Just so, those who love God are never weary of thinking about Him, living for Him, yearning for Him, and talking to Him.

-- Francis De Sales in “An Introduction to the Devout Life” (1608)


#4749

KNOWING AND LOVING GOD

“You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that -- and shudder.”  (James 2:19 NIV)

God doesn't just want us to have good theology; He wants us to know and love Him.

-- Francis Chan in “The Francis Chan Collection: Crazy Love, Forgotten God, Erasing Hell, and Multiply”

#4663

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

It’s tempting to describe spiritual formation in terms we can really master or regulate, like a check list or a huddle or listening to a series of recorded teachings. Such schemes can too readily become perfunctory, another sort of legalism, a way to avoid exploration and mystery, or little more than formulaic.

Being a Christian is not about us; it’s about Jesus! Spiritual formation is about the life of Jesus being made visible in our bodies; it’s about engaging the Spirit because we are hungry for God; it’s about becoming disciples so that Jesus can pour His life into us. It’s about learning to love God with our heart, mind, body, and soul. It’s about having the courage to actually follow Jesus -- to place one foot in front of the other, to dare to live a life of grace.

Paul summed it up well: “I am confident in this, that the One who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). 

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men”


#4473

BEING PRECEDES DOING

Some of Jesus’ disciples were commissioned by Him to go out and preach, teach, and heal. But before conducting their missions of mercy, these disciples learned much from their master. In their case, being preceded doing. Loving God came before serving God. And that’s the way it should be for us too.

“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said to the brothers Peter and Andrew, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Following Jesus preceded casting their nets for more followers. Discipleship preceded evangelism.  

-- Steve & Lois Rabey, General Editors, in “Side by Side”


#4417

LOVING GOD

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”  (Revelation 2:4 NRSV)

There is only one way to love God, that is not to take one step without Him and to follow with a brave heart wherever He leads.

-- Francois Fenelon

#4367

THE CONSUMMATION OF THE TWO COMMANDMENTS

Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "  (Matthew 22:37-39)

As out of Jesus' affliction came a new sense of God's love and a new basis for love between [human beings], so out of our affliction we may grasp the splendor of God's love and how to love one another.  Thus the consummation of the two commandments was on Golgotha; and the Cross is, at once, their image and their fulfillment.

-- Malcolm Muggeridge

#3890

LOVING GOD TO THE FOURTH POWER

I pastor a church in Washington DC that is nearly 70 percent single twenty-somethings.  Unfortunately, our demographics are an anomaly.  By and large, twenty-somethings are leaving the church at an alarming rate.  According to some statistics, 61 percent of twenty-somethings who grew up going to church will quit going to church in their twenties.  And the temptation is to ask this question: what’s wrong with this generation?  But that is the wrong question.  The right question is this:  What’s wrong with the church?


My answer is simply this:  we’re not great at the Great Commandment [Luke 10:27].  In too many instances, we’re not even good at it.


That, I believe, is our primal problem.  That is the lost soul of Christianity.  If Jesus said that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the most important commandment, then doesn’t it logically follow that we ought to spend an inordinate amount of our time and energy trying to understand it and obey it?  We can’t afford to be merely good at the Great Commandment.  We’ve got to be great at the Great Commandment.


The quest for the lost soul of Christianity begins with rediscovering what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Jesus used those four kaleidoscopic words to describe four dimensions of love.  And there is certainly overlap among them.  It’s hard to know where loving God with your heart ends and loving God with your soul begins.  But one thing is sure: loving God in one way isn’t enough.  It’s not enough to love God with just your heart or soul or mind or strength.  We are called, even commanded, to love Him in all four ways.  Think of it as love to the fourth power.


-- Mark Batterson in PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity




#3889