And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in of her.

Mark 14:1-11

And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. Mark 14:9

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 14:1-11.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of four) division (vv6-9):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "Extravagant Acts of Love Will Be Remembered." 
• Jesus reprimands those who are indignant (vv4-5) in v6. 
• "Here in Mark 14:6-9 we see our Lord in effect standing up for another faithful servant, a woman who has showered Him with a sacrifice of extravagant love only to be ridiculed by those who should have known better."  
• "Some readers misread verse 7, supposing Jesus to be insensitive toward the poor. We should do good for the poor. Jesus believed and taught that. The issue here is between “always” and “not always.” The poor are always there, but Jesus would not be. The opportunity to show Him this kind of personal love and affection would soon be gone. Further, Jesus is God, and the first of the great commands always trumps the second[.]"   
• "Jesus indeed asserts His preeminence above all others (cf. Colossians 1:18). This might help: Put these words in the mouth of any other human person, and they sound scandalous, self-centered, even narcissistic. Put them in the mouth of the Son of God who “for your sake . . . became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9), and they make all the sense in the world. Care for the poor, but worship the Savior!" 
• "Jesus makes three striking observations about Mary. (1) “She has done what she could.” She held nothing back! (2) Her act of extravagant love had prophetic and symbolic significance: “She has anointed My body in advance for burial.” Did she fully understand what was about to happen? Probably not. Did she have greater insight into our Lord’s coming passion than the 12 apostles? Of this I have little doubt. (3) Jesus makes a promise that her sacrifice of extravagant love will never be forgotten as the gospel advances throughout 'the whole world.'"

The commentary starts by referring us to Stephen, the first martyr who died for Christ - the ultimate expression of love (see also John 15:13). Mary makes a different yet still significant expression of love - this is what Jesus emphasizes here from the text - that we love God above all others and our lives should express love and worship of Him (see Romans 12:1).

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of incredible grace - You save!  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

Mark 14:1-11

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. Mark 14:3

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 14:1-11.  Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of three) division (vv1-3):

• The title of this chapter of the commentary covering this text is "A Sacrifice of Extravagant Love," and the main idea for the entirety of the text (vv1-11) is "[t]rue followers of Jesus will not hesitate to worship Him with great love and great sacrifice."
• "In Mark 14:1-11 we see [two contrasting events]: (1) a sacrifice of extravagant love by a woman Mark allows to remain anonymous. And we also see two lives that could not stand in greater contrast when it comes to devotion to our Lord: an unnamed woman who gave her best and (2) a man named Judas who betrayed the Son of God."
• The title of the first division per the commentary is "Extravagant Acts of Love Will Be Public." 
• "Jesus was popular with the people so they would wait until the crowds had gone. However, things would proceed on God’s timetable, and Christ the Passover Lamb would be sacrificed for us right on time (1 Corinthians 5:7)."   
• "The scene shifts to Bethany, to Simon’s home. Jesus apparently had healed him of leprosy (Matthew 26:6). John 12:1 tells us the event happened “six days before the Passover,” so Mark’s account is a flashback. The lady here was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, the latter of whom Jesus had raised from the dead (John 12:2). Simon may have been their father." 
• "Mary cared not one whit for cultural conventions. Jesus was her Lord and Master. She deeply loved Him and would have done anything for Him. She wanted everyone to know the inestimable value she placed on Jesus."

The text and the commentary challenges us to give our best to Jesus and the church - not our leftovers - our best.  We must remember the greatest commandment - to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:36-38).

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who saves.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your love and my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Mark 12:28-34

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mark 12:29-30

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 12:28-34.  Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of three) division (vv28-30):

• The title of this chapter of the commentary covering this text is "Two Great Commands/Two Great Loves" and the main idea for the entirety of the text (vv18-27) is "[c]itizens of Christ’s kingdom are called to love God supremely and to love their neighbor unselfishly." 
• "Our response to [the] two [greatest] commandments exposes our hearts, lays bare our souls, and reveals what matters most to us." We are challenged with understanding and confronting what is that we cherish and value the most in our lives? Is it Jesus?  
• The title of the first division per the commentary is "We Are Commanded to Love God Supremely." 
• "So, without malice, [one of the scribes] asked Jesus a question that was often batted around in religious circles: “Which command is the most important of all?” This is not as easy as it sounds. The rabbinic tradition had identified 613 commands in the first five books of the Bible. Of these, 365 were negative, and 248 were positive. Some were “light,” making less demand, while others were viewed as “heavy,” with severe repercussions for disobedience. So this scribe asked Jesus to “declare Himself.” Our Lord gladly obliges, and His answer takes us to the core of what really matters in life."   
• "Jesus quotes what Israel called the “Shema,” found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This confession was recited by every devout Jew morning and evening. Edwards explains, “It was and is as important to Judaism as is the Lord’s Prayer or the Apostles’ Creed to Christianity” (Edwards, Mark, 371)."  
• "Our God is God alone, and our worship, love, devotion, and allegiance must be exclusively to God or He will not accept it. Teachers and theologians could debate all they want, but Jesus begins by bringing them back to the fundamentals, the nonnegotiables of the faith. We should love this God because of who He is: He is our God."   
• "What kind of God is He? Exodus 34:6-7 describes Him as perfect in His gracious love and His pure justice."  
• "Furthermore, the context of the Shema is instructive. To love God is to obey His commandments and statutes “all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 6:2). To love God means you will teach these commandments to your children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 6:2), when you sit, walk, lie down, and rise up throughout the day (Deuteronomy 6:7), remembering He is the God “who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery” (Deuteronomy 6:12). To love God supremely means you must “not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for the Lord your God [Yahweh your Elohim], who is among you, [because Yahweh] is a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 6:14-15)."  
• "The repetition of the word “all” (four times in Mark 12:30) emphasizes the comprehensive nature of how we are to love Yahweh our Elohim, the Lord our God. It calls for a total response of love and devotion to God."  
• "The heart speaks to our emotions, the real me on the inside (see Exodus 20:3). The soul speaks to the spirit, the self-conscious life (see Psalm 42:1-2). The mind speaks to our intelligence and thought life (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Strength speaks to our bodily powers, perhaps even the will (see Romans 12:1). 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves....thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Galatians 5:22-23

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

I continue preparation to host and lead worship services at the Gardens and the Lodge this Sunday 22SEP on behalf of my church - using the RayFowler.Org Fruit of the Spirit Sermon series, and for this upcoming Sunday, the focus is the Fruit of Love.  The sermon follows the following broad themes and this morning my focus theme #2.

1. Love and God
2. Love comes first
3. Growing in love

In introducing theme #2, the sermon shares how "the Bible tells us how love comes first. Love comes first in three ways: 1) Love is the greatest commandment. 2) Love is the greatest thing of all. And 3) Love is the first fruit which contains all the others."

We are then referred to Matthew 22:37-40 where Jesus states (in response to a question from the Pharisees who sought to test Him) love as the greatest commandment and that "[o]n these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

As we continue, the sermon then shares that love is not just the greatest commandment but "the greatest thing of all." We are referred to 1 Corinthians 13:13 as the sermon describes that "[e]arlier in the same chapter Paul tells us how love is greater than anything you can speak, know, understand, possess or give away. Love is greater than faith or hope. Faith has to do with the present, and hope is for the future, but love is for all time. Faith will become sight, hope will ultimately be fulfilled, but only love continues for all eternity. That’s the second reason love comes first. Love is the greatest thing of all."

The final point for this theme is that "[l]ove is the first fruit which contains all the others" and we are referred to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and Colossians 3:12, 14.  We are also referred to Jonathan Edwards, who "called love “the sum of all grace."  

The description of this theme concludes with a quote from Donald Barnhouse:

 

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My Prayer: Thank You Jesus for loving me first, while I was still an enemy of yours, hostile to you and faith.  Thank You for Your amazing grace.  I am not deserving of Your love and amazing grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

 

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning...My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 3 and John 2

 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning...My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 3:7-8, John 2:1-2

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 25 of Advent, and today John Piper marks Christmas day by describing three gifts all believers have in Jesus Christ:

1. A clear purpose for living.  Using 1 John 3:23 where it says (Piper highlights how John does so as a single commandment) "believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."  Piper shares how this commandment - expressed by Jesus as two (and the greatest) commandments in Matthew 22:34-40 - as the "sum of the Christian life". 
2. Hope that our failures will be forgiven.  Piper describes how our hope that our failures will be forgiven is HOW we overcome sin - we continue to fight because we know and have faith that our battle is not for naught.
3. Christ will help us.  Piper uses 1 John 4:4 where it says "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." Jesus has already defeated sin and death and He gives us the Holy Spirit, His Word, etc. as the full armor of God to defeat sin. He will also never leave or forsake us.

Merry Christmas indeed!  Embrace these truths!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are great indeed and the presents You provide are incredible as You alone are worthy of worship like no other!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such gifts.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13

Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. v9

In Romans 13:8-10, Paul pivots to how we are repay our debts, and he moves on to the importance of love.  Although many Bible scholars believe Jesus new covenant focuses on moral vs ceremonial law, there is still much in moral law for us to follow.  Yet both Jesus and Paul remind us how love (of God and for others) is most important.

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.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You love me - more than I can ever imagine or understand.  I am grateful that You love me, because I am undeserving of Your love and for the countless ways You bless me and for Your grace.  Thank You.  Yet I worry and I have much sin - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

Mark 7

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. v20-22

In Mark 7, once again we see the Pharisees and the teachers of the law try and trap Jesus in blasphemy so that they can conspire to arrest or kill Him.  Yet Jesus sees right through them and attacks their heart condition which is the core of their issue - He IS fulfillment of the law and Old Testament prophecy - He is the One they should be welcoming based on the words of their own prophets, including Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. 

Our heart condition is truly where we should focus - not on external circumstances or external behaviors but on loving God and loving others. 

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.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

My Prayer: Heavenly Father - You are truly a great God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords and my Lord and Savior.  Thank You for the many, many ways You bless me - too many ways to list or talk about!  I am not worth such love and blessings.  My heart is not where it needs to be - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. v14

As the Lord responds to Habakkuk's plea for justice - see post yesterday - God promises punishment for the wicked.  In v9-19, God promises woe for those who disobey God and seek gain and glory for themselves above God.  We are to love God first and foremost and then others as God loves us.

Ten Commandments
Greatest Commandment(s)
"Love one another" as Jesus loves you

One way or another every knee will bow and every tongue will acknowledge the Lord of Lords - Jesus Christ.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has helped me grow in my faith - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I daily miss the mark.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

2 Kings 17

So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence. v18-20

God is full of grace yet His patience is not unlimited.  We all die and will face judgement - if we have not accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior then we face eternal damnation.  At the end of times, God waits until the very last moments to give people an opportunity to repent and turn towards Him yet even then the appointed time arrives.

We see this here with Israel where the case against Israel is laid out in v7-20.

God had seen enough with Israel and His patience had run out.

John Piper explains the limits of God's love and patience:

"This means that God’s patience with unrepentant sinners will not last forever. They eventually cross a line beyond which God will not pursue them anymore. He will let them go, and they will never be forgiven. At this point, whatever love he was pursuing them with (Romans 2:4) is gone, and they become the objects of his eternal wrath (Revelation 14:10-11)." 

Piper quotes Jesus to define the trigger for the end of God's patience:

Whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32).

Jesus also makes it clear that love of God is of paramount importance.

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.  Matthew 22:37-38

It is clear that Israel failed to do this and God's patience ran out.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who is full of compassion, grace and patience.  Your justice is perfect and Your love never runs out - even when You discipline us.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love because I worry.  Please forgive me and help me turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. 

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Proverbs 8

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. v10-11

In Exodus 20 (The Ten Commandments), we are commanded to "have no other gods before [God]".  In Matthew 22:34-40 it says:

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

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.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:34-40

Our first and best efforts should be for God before anything and anyone else.  We are blessed by God's grace alone - not through our own effort.

See also this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God full of love, blessing, compassion, mercy, etc.  I am nothing without You and I can do no good things apart from You.  Thank You for Your love and mercy. I am not worthy such love and mercy.  I continue to worry and stress and place my desires above Yours.  Please forgive me!  Help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Psalm 119

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. v165

One thing is for sure that my love of God's Word has grown.  I do love God and His Word but I still often worry and stress out...of course this means I am falling short of God's greatest command from Matthew 22:37-38: 

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.

Yet I know that our relationship with Jesus is one of a journey where God directs us (see biblical references in this Psalm alone to path, footsteps, etc.), and that we are running a race (Acts 20:24, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7) and that we should run this race with endurance and persistence (Hebrews 12:1).  The implication is that we are to expend all of our energy and effort.  We don't walk, we run.  We may stumble from an earthly perspective, but when we run with God, He directs our steps and is in control.  Any stumble we experience is designed or allowed by God as part of His plan....

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God, and I know You love me in ways that words cannot describe.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I am weak, and broken.  Please forgive me for my worry and stress.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me continue to run the race You set out before me.  Help me run with endurance.  Help me focus on the eternal.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.