Tag: Love

Vain Satisfaction

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He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV)

Satisfaction and contentment are the cornerstone of our natural desires. We have an innate drivenness to seek out satisfaction and contentment. We all desire to satiate this inner drive and determination. Where we look for that satisfaction and the level of determination in that pursuit is different in each person, but make no mistake… we all seek satisfaction and contentment. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes is pointing to one object that we all struggle with in our pursuit. All of us will at some point struggle with the pursuit of wealth and a desire to find contentment by pursuing money. Money is not in itself a bad thing or something to be abhorred. What the Preacher is pointing out is that our love for money can lead to a craving that is never satisfied. If we are in love with money, the pursuit of money, or the prestige of money, we will never be content with the level of wealth that we attain. When our love of money is driving us, we will always want more and more. Satisfaction, true satisfaction, will never be found in money and wealth.

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Cold Love

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And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:12 (ESV)

Our world is continuing its journey of descent into lawlessness. Little by little we are pulled further along the path toward lawlessness. You can see it every day when you read or listen to the news. You can see it both locally, regionally, nationally, and on a global scale. We are all offended at the notion of our descent, and we all want to point the finger and shift the blame to some person or group of people that we deem inferior or antagonistic. We rarely look in the mirror and see our own responsibility with the daily decisions we make. Each choice we make that is not rooted in love is a step further along the path of lawlessness. The further we walk down the path the more our love grows cold. The more our love grows cold, the more we embrace lawlessness. Until one day we wake up and see how distant we are from the pure love of Christ.

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Discerning Love

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And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Philippians 1:9–10 (ESV)

This morning I started reading through Warren Wiersbe’s book on Philippians called “Be Joyful.” Mainly because I want to concentrate and be intentional about seeing joy in my life, but also because the book of Philippians is my go-to book of the Bible. In this first section of Philippians 1, I was intrigued by the prayer of Paul for the Philippians believers. A prayer that their lives may be filled with abounding love. A love that grows and grows. But it’s not just a simple turn of phrase to love in a general or generic sense, Paul wants their abounding love to be filled with knowledge and discernment. He wants them to have a growing love that is not just some emotional feeling that changes and shifts according to the conditions and circumstances of life. He wants them to have a love that has roots in knowledge and discernment. Why does he add this part? So they may be able to approve what is excellent. That they may be able to discern righteousness. That they will engage their minds in their daily actions and choose what is good, right, and holy for the glory of Christ. For it is not their own love channeled through Christ that he is praying, but the love of Christ being channeled through them.

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Look of Love

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And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 

Mark 10:21 (ESV)

This verse highlights a portion of a conversation that Jesus had with a rich young ruler in the Book of Mark. This particular story is of interest to me because it shows this man who seemingly had everything in this world that people desire. He was wealthy. He had influence and authority. He was diligent in his religious observations. On the outside, he was the picture of having it all together. Yet, he was missing something and he knew it. He knew that even with all these blessings his eternal salvation was not assured. So when Jesus came to his community, he was quick to come and kneel before him and ask him the most important question there is in life, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This rich young man and his quest looks awful similar to someone I know very well… me. And I dare say he looks like all of us.

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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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