Loving the Lord with Everything
At our last church gathering, we talked of God's command to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength in the Old and New Testaments. Jesus goes one step further and includes the mind. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." In Luke10:27, Jesus tells us to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." Matthew quotes these same words of Jesus only he leaves out 'strength' in 22:37. Mark includes all 4 in 12:30.
This discussion made me alert to the word 'strength'. In our discussion, Alex pointed out that 'strength' was not included in all passages. Perhaps it was just a matter of the author, Matthew, forgetting to incluce that word. Regardless, it alerted me to the word 'strength'. As I was reading in II Chronicles this week, King Uzziah was regarded as a godly king who became a king when he was only 16. "He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." II Chronicles 26:5. He accomplished great things for the kingdom until............."He became powerful." 26:15b. Equating 'power' with 'strength', it caught my attention because of our discussion on loving the Lord with all our strength. King Uzziah is a perfect example of how important it is to love God with all our strength. If we use our strength or power, which is actually given to us by God, for ourselves or our own glory, we sin and have consequences to pay.
"His fame [King Uzziah] spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God." II Chronicles 26:15b-16a. The consequences to his sin was great ~ "He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.” Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him. King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land." II Chronicles 26:16b-21
Let us remain faithful in loving God with all our strength and not allow pride to destroy the work we have been called to do. May our strength be increased as we love Him with all our strength, using it for the benefit of the Kingdom and for His glory.
Shalom!
This discussion made me alert to the word 'strength'. In our discussion, Alex pointed out that 'strength' was not included in all passages. Perhaps it was just a matter of the author, Matthew, forgetting to incluce that word. Regardless, it alerted me to the word 'strength'. As I was reading in II Chronicles this week, King Uzziah was regarded as a godly king who became a king when he was only 16. "He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." II Chronicles 26:5. He accomplished great things for the kingdom until............."He became powerful." 26:15b. Equating 'power' with 'strength', it caught my attention because of our discussion on loving the Lord with all our strength. King Uzziah is a perfect example of how important it is to love God with all our strength. If we use our strength or power, which is actually given to us by God, for ourselves or our own glory, we sin and have consequences to pay.
"His fame [King Uzziah] spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God." II Chronicles 26:15b-16a. The consequences to his sin was great ~ "He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.” Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him. King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land." II Chronicles 26:16b-21
Let us remain faithful in loving God with all our strength and not allow pride to destroy the work we have been called to do. May our strength be increased as we love Him with all our strength, using it for the benefit of the Kingdom and for His glory.
Shalom!
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