What is the “Kingdom of God”?

The Kingdom of God is within you...

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21

After reading the above scripture about the “Kingdom of God” I thought to myself, “Hmmm… that is interesting! The Kingdom of God is within ME!!?” How cool is that!? But, how does that work?? I have heard this before of course but this time it sparked a new interest. I know there are many scriptures in the Bible about the Kingdom of God (Matthew uses the term Kingdom of “heaven” for the Jews sake) so I decided to pull them all out and see what I could find out about this topic. I wanted to look primarily at what JESUS said because, in my book, HE is the ultimate authority! There are a couple others but I wanted to focus mostly on the words of God, made flesh. So, here is what I found:

The Kingdom of God starts small and grows big…

Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches." Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Luke 13:18-21

“He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32

There is feasting in the Kingdom of God…

People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Luke 13:29

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." Luke 14:15

And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." Luke 22:15-16

I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God. Mark 14:25

The Kingdom of God is POWER…

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20

But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28

“…and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:2

“…but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.” Luke 9:11

It is hard for the RICH to enter into the Kingdom…

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" Mark 10:23

Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

The Kingdom can be taken away…

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Matthew 21:43

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability… (Truncated for space) For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Matthew 25:14-29

The Kingdom of God is Organic…

He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." Mark 4:26-32

The Kingdom is not only in the afterlife…

And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." Mark 9:1

I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." Luke 9:27

The Kingdom should be received like a little child…

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15

But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Luke 18:16-17

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3-4

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

The Kingdom of God is the “Good news”…

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Luke 8:1

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. Luke 16:16

The time has come, he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15

The Kingdom of God is relational…

Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So the scribe said to Him, Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other besides Him. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God…" Mark 12:29-34

The Kingdom of God is secret and hidden from some…

He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,” 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' Luke 8:10

He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables. Mark 4:11

He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Matthew 13:11

We are in “service” in the Kingdom of God…

Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62

The kingdom of God is near…

“…and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matthew 3:2

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matthew 4:17

'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' Luke 10:11

Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:31

The time has come, he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' Luke 10:9

You must be born again to see the Kingdom of God…

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” John 3:3

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. John 3:5

The Kingdom of God is not easily entered…

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. Acts 14:21-22

The Kingdom is NOT for “YES” men…

What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. Matthew 21:28-31

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

We need to keep watch for the Kingdom…

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise… (Truncated for space) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

We will be sorted and sifted in the Kingdom of God…

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' ‘An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'  Matthew 13:24-30

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:47-50

The Kingdom of God is a “treasure” of great value...

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." Matthew 13:52

There are “keys” to the Kingdom of God…

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19

The Kingdom of God is not logical or predictable…

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard… (Truncated for space)  'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Mat 20:1-16

We can be “least” or “Great” in the Kingdom of God…

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19-20

I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11:11

Many are invited into the Kingdom but few are chosen…

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come… (Truncated for space) But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:2-14

There is Mercy, justice and forgiveness in the Kingdom…

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants… (Truncated for space) 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. Matthew 18:23-35

So, to capsulize all of the above headers and scriptures, here is the Kingdom of God in a nutshell: The Kingdom of God is within you...  it starts small and grows… is the Good news…Should be received like a little child… is not only in the afterlife… is Organic… can be taken away… is POWER… There is feasting in the Kingdom… It is relational… It is hard for the RICH to enter… It is secret and hidden from some people… You must be born again to see the Kingdom… it is near… We “serve” in the Kingdom… The Kingdom is NOT for “YES” men… is not easily entered… We need to keep watch for the Kingdom… We will be sorted and sifted… It is a “treasure” of great value…. There are “keys” to the Kingdom… It is not logical or predictable… We can be “least” or “great”… Many are invited but few are chosen… There is Mercy, justice and forgiveness in the Kingdom…

This was an interesting study which has clarified for me what the Kingdom of God is… Yet it is STILL a mystery! :p But going through this exercise has helped me see it a bit clearer than I did before. It has also given me a desire to look at the scriptures regarding “Eternal Life” and “Heaven” for more clarity on those topics as well so stay tuned for those blogs!

Thank you Father that we can’t “figure” You out! Your word and truth can only be revealed to those who truly desire You and want to know You. Holy Spirit, please give me the insight and wisdom to see the Kingdom more and more each day as I press into YOU!

The American Dream…?

“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-- then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.” Deuteronomy 11:13-17

When I was going through the scriptures for the last blog “With ALL your Heart” I noticed something in the above scripture that we could very easily skip over and miss: “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them” Did you notice that the first time through?? I didn’t, and I don’t know how many times I have read this scripture and missed it!! But this time I think the Lord helped me out a little bit because it stood out to me like a sore thumb! I now see this phrase as a VERY important part to this scripture. What I am hearing Him say now is “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads…” Deuteronomy 11:18 “… or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them”. Chapter 11 of Deuteronomy is full of God’s admonition to keep our eyes on HIM and He spells out all the blessings of following these instructions and the consequences of not following them. And one of them is turning away and worshiping other gods.

“Only carefully obey the command and instruction that Moses the LORD's servant gave you: to love the LORD your God, walk in all His ways, keep His commands, remain faithful to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul." Joshua 22:5

I know I am not the only one who struggles with loving Him with ALL my heart, soul and strength. And I think the enemy has done an amazing job of “enticing” us away from our “first love”. After giving some thought to what “other god’s” we would be bowing down to in this day and age (I don’t think we have any Baal’s or Ashtoreth poles here now), I believe that one of Satan’s “enticements” is the pursuit of the “American Dream”. Yep, I said it, I truly think that the “American dream” is another god that we are bowing down to. Satan has convinced us that we “need” to have the American dream or even better yet, as Christians, we think that “God” wants us to have it! We believe that God wants us to have the high profile jobs, the homes, the cars, and boats, big screen TV’s and all the “things in life” that the world has to offer. We even believe that those things are His “blessings” for us!! But, don’t all those things actually take us and our time away from God? In order for us to be able to afford these things… that He has supposedly “given” to us, we have to work mega hours, focusing on our jobs and not Him. And when we are home we need to take care of the cars, and the house, mowing the lawn, painting, doing repairs, making improvements, doing yard work… And by the time we are done with all of that work we are so exhausted we sit in front of our big screen TV to relax and gel out. The last thing we want to do is open our Bibles and spend time with God. And we think that “this” is what He wants for us?? Stress, exhaustion, financial burdens and ZERO time with Him?  Somehow I can’t reconcile the Deuteronomy scriptures with what most of our lives look like today… I believe we have been deceived and we have been “enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them”!

“Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees” Psalm 119:5-12

Love is the governing factor in the Kingdom of God, but fear is the governing factor in the world system. One of the “key” components of the enemy’s “American dream” is FEAR.  The more you have the more fear you have of losing it! You work and you slave and you sacrifice your relationship with God, your family and your health to climb the corporate ladder to earn a six figure income… (Or something like that) to collect your many possessions that signify and represent your successful life… But in reality, all of that could be swept away in a heartbeat! A layoff, sickness, a fire, economic decline, bankruptcy… Any one of those things could sweep away all of your hard work and efforts in the blink of an eye! These two scriptures come to mind when I think of collecting things on earth and the concept of saving for “retirement”; Matthew 6:19-21 - “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And Luke 12:15-21 - “Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ‘But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God”. Based on these scriptures (and there are many more like them!), I have a hard time believing that God would want us to invest so much of ourselves, our time and our lives for the “things” of this world and not in HIM, our eternal Father.

So then eventually, in our pursuit of the “American dream”, we wonder why we have no joy, why God seems so far away and what happened to my marriage and family…?!  Why is my spouse leaving me for another? Why are my kids such a mess? Why are we in such financial distress, physical decline and an emotional wreck? Could it be that we have been deceived? The “American dream” was not God’s idea! The whole concept of working your tail off during the prime of your life, to collect things and money so that you can one day “retire” and finally live the life you’ve always wanted to live is a LIE and a trap… And dare I say bondage? I hear God’s heart for us to choose HIS way when I read the scripture in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus is our first and best example of what our life should look like in the Father’s eyes. He was not in pursuit of “things” but of “hearts”, teaching the disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), loving and healing the people around Him and telling them about His Father in Heaven. When a teacher of the law said he wanted to follow Him “Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20) I am not suggesting that we all become homeless waifs but do we really need all those things that are keeping us from truly knowing and pursuing our amazing Father? In the parable of the soils He even mentions that “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

In Oswald Chambers’ April 15^th devotion he says: “God wants you to be entirely His, and it requires paying close attention to keep yourself fit. It also takes a tremendous amount of time. Yet some of us expect to rise above all of our problems, going from one mountaintop experience to another, with only a few minutes' effort.”

“With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:13-16

“Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone --- to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Feb 15^th Oswald)

Father, I pray for all of us right now and I pray that we would learn to “walk in Your ways” and follow Your decrees and to Love You with ALL our hearts, minds, soul and strength!  Lord, show us what that looks like for each one of us! I know that we each have been created for a different and specific purpose for service in Your Kingdom, teach us how to work for YOU in YOUR kingdom and not for the prince of this world. Help us to not “be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them” but to serve you only! Open our eyes to see the life that YOU desire for us!  Please take the scales and the blinders off and help us to see YOUR truth and walk in Your ways.  In Your mighty and precious name I pray, amen! 

With "ALL" Your Heart...

(Revised from July 2010, part one)

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength…” Deuteronomy 6:5

The Lord has impressed this scripture upon my heart several times over the last few years. Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-38 “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.” So, the first thing that hits me are the words “first” and “greatest”… This is apparently a big deal for Jesus and this scripture should be bookmarked, highlighted and underlined a few times… and maybe even a couple asterisks next to it too! The second thing that sticks out to me is the word ALL. He says it three times so we should make no mistake about His meaning and its importance “… ALL your heart … ALL your soul and … ALL your strength”. It doesn’t say to love him when it is convenient, when it is easy, when you have time, when you want something, when He blesses you or even when you “feel” like it but with ALL of you, ALL the time!! Wow. This is truly a challenging and difficult commandment! As I wrestle with this concept myself, as to how I can possibly do this, and I try to visualize what this actually LOOKS like in my life, I have come face to face with the embarrassing truth of what I have thought was good and acceptable to Him.

“Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.” Psalm 119:2

First of all, do we REALLY know what it means to “love” anyway? Or, have we watered it down to the point of it being more of a “lust” thing or a “make me feel good” thing (the definition of lust being; I must have it now)? We SAY we “love” the Lord but do we really, truly love HIM or do we love what we think He represents or what we think He can give us? For most of my Christian walk I SAID I loved the Lord but then seemed to be content with giving him only 5 to 10 minutes of my time each day with a couple of “help me” or “help them” prayers throughout the week and, if He was lucky, I would throw in a couple of “Thank You”s for good measure. When I am really doing well, I spend a couple hours with Him in the morning and talk about Him with people throughout the day and I even marvel at His amazing creation, singing praises and worshiping Him throughout my day. This is what He means by “all”, right?

“...do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:3

But wait, there’s more! His instructions get even better!  He continues by telling us, in this same scripture in Deuteronomy 6, that His “Words” should be written “upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…”  And in Deuteronomy 11 He say’s it AGAIN “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…” 

Wow.  These scriptures are so powerful and so “all encompassing” and, if I am reading them correctly, they are basically saying we should literally be “consumed” with Love for HIM so much so that His words and praises are upon our hearts and lips at every possible moment in our day… Wow. (I did a little research and found several other scriptures saying about the same thing so this was not a momentary whim or passing fancy, this is definitely an important thing to God. See below this blog for more scriptures)

“…But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night...” Psalms 1:1-3

When I try to wrap my mind around what that scripture would look like in my life, I think about what “True love” might look like to most of us. The best description that I can come up with is when you first meet someone and “fall in love” and your mind and thoughts are consumed with that person all day long. You write love letters, you think about him/her every spare moment. You can’t think at work, you can’t sleep or eat. You can’t wait to talk with them and, when you are away, you look forward to when you can be with them again. And when you are with them, you wish time could stand still so that you can be in “that moment” with them for all time. You pour yourself and your time into that person and begin to build a relationship with them that will last the rest of your life. When I think about loving Him in those terms, I think that is as close to “all” as we can get! I feel like that is the LEAST that God is asking of us... of ME.  Do I love Him so much that all else fades away and is set aside for Him? Do I wake up in the morning with Him as my first thought and go to bed praising and thanking Him? Do I speak His words to my grandchildren, and are they written on my heart and do I proclaim them and His greatness to all those around me? Sadly my answer to that is a disappointing “no”… but do I WANT to be there?  In this case, my answer is a resounding “YES”!!  But, Lord, how do I get there??!!

“The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul, so that you will live.” Deuteronomy 30:6

I love what Oswald said in his February 8^th devotional, “The Cost of Sanctification”:

“Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns. Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God's point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God's purpose alone. Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us? … Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.”

Father, prepare my heart for the cost of sanctification! Help me to set aside everything that is NOT of you. YOU are my first “Valentine”. I am able to love You because You first loved me! You are SO passionate about Your relationship with me that You have done and given everything possible to enable me to have a “love” relationship with You. Please help me and show me how to truly LOVE You with ALL my heart, ALL my mind and ALL my strength! I thank you most of all that, even though I don’t or am not able to love You with ALL my heart, mind and strength, you still love me, at every stage of my journey to know You. Your, struggling to love, daughter, Linda :)

(Stay tuned for part two: The American Dream)

More scriptures:

“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 strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul?” Deuteronomy 10:12

“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-- … Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them…  Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many…” Deuteronomy 11:13-22

“Only carefully obey the command and instruction that Moses the LORD's servant gave you: to love the LORD your God, walk in all His ways, keep His commands, remain faithful to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul." Joshua 22:5

“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

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ”Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  What is written in the Law? He replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "You have answered correctly, Jesus replied "Do this and you will live." Luke 10:25-28

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3