Our Lords expectations of His people












And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God… Shall is a strong word isn’t it? It is demanding, it brings to mind the absolutes of childhood…you shall clean your room! You shall not fight with your brother and sister! Now I don’t remember my Dad or Mom using the word “Shall” exactly…but they were well acquainted with the word synonyms!

According to the online legal dictionary by farlex,

Shall:

1) an imperative command as in "you shall not kill."

2) In some statutes, "shall" is a direction but does not mean mandatory, depending on the context.

Growing up in my house shall was mandatory! Provided you relished living! We must not provide an out for this command from the Lord Jesus Christ, by suggesting that His words are not mandatory, that we can pick and choose our obedience the way some select food from a cafeteria line.

I will have a little bit of commitment, not too much, a small scoop of discipline if you will…a full portion of love thank you very much, a smidgen of patience, And can I get patience to go? I am watching my weight after all!

No, shall means shall….it s an imperative!
The love of Jesus exampled on the cross is the compelling reason for our own devotion to Him!

Such devotion reminds me of the story of A certain medieval monk (The middle ages were from 5th century Ad until around the 16th century, approx: 1,000 years) announced he would be preaching the following Sunday evening on "The Love of God."


As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. Source Unknown

The Lord Jesus Christ, the king of Kings. Lord of Lords, who purchased us with the cost of His very life…says “You shall love the Lord your God! There is nothing else for us to say, other than yes Lord! Our love effects it transforms, It engages… our

1. Heart
2. Our Souls
3. Our Minds…and
4. Fellow human beings!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home!

Image
Michelle Robin Hensley November 11th 1969 - September 15th 2009 "We believe as Christians, that when our loved ones die, they go to be with the Lord. The Bible teaches that the Lord is with us. Well if they are with Him, and He is with us...they cannot be very far away" Peter Marshall My Dear Friend's, September 15 at 10:35 pm, my wonderful and Godly 39 year old sister Michelle, stepped into the presence of our Glorious Lord and King . Thank you for your wonderful support and kindness and understanding, our family has felt your care and warmth. I will forever be thankful that I came "Home" to be with her and my mom arriving Tuesday morning. Shell was unresponsive and in a coma all day. She was blessed to be comforted by Mom, my brother Mike, his wife Chrissie, and their two sons Caleb, and Josh. Barbara, my mother in law was there throughout the day, and part of the eveing. Several of Shell's friends came as well. Hospice was great (every step of the way) a
Read more

In Honor of Peter Marshall.

Image
In Memory of a Man who was after God's own heart. As a younger minister my heart warmed to His preaching, (From recorded sermons) the soaring diction, the impassioned eloquent proclamation of truth, through a life consumed by Christ! As a middle aged Pastor now, the memory of this incomparable Preacher continues to inspire! I am so looking forward to meeting Dr. Marshall in heaven! Few people in my life's journey have touched me as deeply as the late Peter Marshall. Here is just a sample of his profound way of turning a phrase... • A different world cannot be built by indifferent people. • Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything. • God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. • If you hug to yourself any resentment against anybody else, you destroy the bridge by which God would come t
Read more

How are things at home?

Image
              A year ago today, hearts were breaking, tears were flowing and pain left us nearly breathless.   A year ago we said a teary temporary (Thank God) farewell (Christians, never say goodbye, for the final time) to Michelle Robin Hensley , my sister, my dear friend.  The 12 months that we have walked and sometimes stumbled through, have been difficult.   The Lord has, as He promised, bore our burdens, comforted  hearts....and dried tears.   Oh they still come , often, I think they always will .  There is so much we miss , about you, so much we want to share with you .  I know that in some way you know what we are doing.... maybe in more detail than we can imagine. I still have a lump in my throat from time to time ....and missing you is a pale way to describe the ache.... but I know you are with the Lord ....and I am comforted . There are no words to describe how much we miss you . Your laughter , your wit ...your timing always spot on! I picture you now in
Read more