Tag: Love

First Loved

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Journal Entry // November 24, 2022

We love because he first loved us. (ESV)

1 John 4:19

The foundation of all that I truly am is found in these seven words. Because Jesus loves me, I can love others. Because Jesus loves me, I can love Him. The implication from these seven words is that without Him first loving me, I am unable to love Jesus or others. My heart was initially dead and hard as stone; unable to truly love anyone other than myself. But God changed all of that with the perfect satisfying love of Jesus. Jesus chose to love me. He chose to love me not because of what I had done or what I would one day do. No, despite my hard and stubborn heart toward his righteous law and commandments, Jesus laid his full attention on me and chose to let the object of his love be directed upon me. A rebellious sinner. He first loved me.

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Love in Truth

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Journal Entry // November 23, 2022

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (ESV)

1 John 3:18

What is the indicator that love permeates my heart? Is it the words that I speak or the actions I exhibit? I think that both are important to truly having love for your brothers and your neighbors. It is important to speak and talk to everyone in a loving way. It is also important to demonstrate my professed love with action and deeds. It is not enough to give verbal ascent to loving someone. It is minimalistic to only give words of love as we converse. I need to let love so permeate my heart that I demonstrate my profession with action. That I love both in my speech and in my deeds. This is the outworking and overflow of the love of Christ in me.

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Loving Obedience

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Journal Entry // May 24, 2022

provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the LORD your God and by walking ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three,

Deuteronomy 19:9 ESV

For the past two years, I have been working to focus on what it means to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When I first started this endeavor, I thought I would take a year on each aspect beginning with the heart. Yet, here I am over two years on and I am still learning what it means to love God with all my heart. I’m still learning that God’s Word is full of commandments, phrases, stories, and warnings to put my obedience into action through engaging my heart. This passage is the same message that is repeated over and over throughout the Books of Moses. In order to keep the commandments of God, I must walk in His ways and I must love Him. Not one or the other. I need both.

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Fear, Walk, Love, Serve

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Journal Entry // May 21, 2022

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deuteronomy 10:12 ESV

What does the Lord require of me?

  • Fear the Lord
  • Walk in all his ways
  • Love him
  • Serve the Lord

And how am I to do this? With all my heart and soul.

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Abide Together

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Journal Entry // April 28, 2021

Abide in me, and I in you.

John 15:4 ESV

“Abide in me” and “Abide in my love” is clearly the primary theme of this chapter in John where Jesus gives us the great picture of our relationship as a vine and branches. I am interested in his teaching about the indwelling of God with the believer. I tend to really only think about this as a one-way abiding. That the Spirit comes to dwell in my heart and my life is changed as a result. But Jesus clearly teaches that not only does God come and dwell within me, but I too am to come and dwell or abide in him.

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Week 12, 2022

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Week twelve of Cultivate Delight, where we are actively planning our spiritual endeavors this coming week with the goal of a consistent time spent engaging our hearts with Christ in his word, in prayer, in reflection, and in music. Below are some starting points for reflection, and I hope you find them helpful. The goal is to not just rush through these and then get on with your day. Take your time and reflect throughout the week on these items.

This week we are focusing on the law of God by reflecting on being content with the goodness of God.

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Week 11, 2022

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Week eleven of Cultivate Delight, where we are actively planning our spiritual endeavors this coming week with the goal of a consistent time spent engaging our hearts with Christ in his word, in prayer, in reflection, and in music. Below are some starting points for reflection, and I hope you find them helpful. The goal is to not just rush through these and then get on with your day. Take your time and reflect throughout the week on these items.

This week we are focusing on the law of God by reflecting on the command to Love One Another!

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Revealing His Own Heart

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Journal Entry // March 11, 2022

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Exodus 34:6 ESV

When the Lord our God passes before Moses and proclaims the name of the Lord, he reveals that the heart of God is full of mercy and grace, patient, and abounding in a love and faithfulness that is unwavering. That is only the beginning of his description, but even this is far too deep for me this morning. There in the heart of the Lord’s description of himself I see Jesus. We tend to think that Jesus and the God of the Old Testament are different in character. That God was full of wrath in the Old Testament and Jesus is meek and mild in the New. What are we missing when we think this way? We miss the heart of God, for when you see Jesus, you have seen the Father.

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Week 09, 2022

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Week nine of Cultivate Delight, where we are actively planning our spiritual endeavors this coming week with the goal of a consistent time spent engaging our hearts with Christ in his word, in prayer, in reflection, and in music. Below are some starting points for reflection, and I hope you find them helpful. The goal is to not just rush through these and then get on with your day. Take your time and reflect throughout the week on these items.

This week we are focusing on the law of God by reflecting on the preeminence of God who is worthy of our worship.

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Week 08, 2022

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Week eight of Cultivate Delight, where we are actively planning our spiritual endeavors this coming week with the goal of a consistent time spent engaging our hearts with Christ in his word, in prayer, in reflection, and in music. Below are some starting points for reflection, and I hope you find them helpful. The goal is to not just rush through these and then get on with your day. Take your time and reflect throughout the week on these items.

This week we are focusing on the law of God by reflecting on his Ten Commandments.

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