Back to School

Pause

Jesus replied: “‘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 (NIV)

How do you love God? How do you show God your love with all of your heart? Have you ever considered the question?

Many of you are starting back to school this week. With this new start is a great time to consider how God is asking you to love fully and to let go of anything that holds you back.

Listen

Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

Think

Desire is a strong or intense feeling of wanting something. Can you recall something that you have desired?

I remember when we were expecting both of my daughters I had an overwhelming desire to meet them as the day of my wife’s delivery came closer. There was nothing more that I wanted than to hold my daughters, to look upon their faces, and to see their brand new eyes look back at me as their Dad. I had never experienced such a real sense of desire before. When I finally met both of my daughters in 2005 and 2010, my desires were fulfilled.

Matthew’s Gospel reminds you to desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. God is to be first in your life, the first of all of your desires. If you trust God and love God with all of your heart, then your desire will be God first. Ask God to help you desire God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness in all that you do today.

Josh Speight

Pray

God, today I want to desire you and your Kingdom. Help me to seek you first in all that I do today, with all my heart. Amen.

Go

Go forth now in the power of the Spirit of God to be God’s helper in the world, letting go of any worry, loving God with all your heart along the way.