Where are YOU in your walk with the Lord?
In the book of Deuteronomy (28:1-2) we learn the simple formula for achieving God’s blessing. “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the Lord your God.” Then later in the book of Matthew (22:37-40) Jesus explains precisely what the most important commandments are for us to follow, “And He said to him, “‘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 foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” Everything boils down to loving God and loving your neighbor. All the laws found in the Old Testament are covered in these two simple to understand commandments. That’s clear perspective!
As we seek to carry out God’s grand design for our lives, it’s important for us to look back and recalculate the lessons learned. At the same time, we need to take a careful inventory of everything going on in our lives right now – at this very moment. Finally, we have to look out beyond the horizon and carefully plan for the future. We will never be successful without this kind of clear perspective. Our mission to achieve God’s calling in our life depends on an unencumbered view of the past, present, and future. We need the history of God our Father, the salvation of Jesus Christ, and the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Our ultimate goal is our eternal existence with God. Glory to God for His awesome grace and for our salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Glory to God for every moment of success we achieve in our quest to find our place in God’s master plan. Glory to God for giving us the Holy Spirit to help point the way. Glory to God for what is to come. “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) We have a confirmed appointment with eternity. Everything we do in this world is in preparation for that trip.
Ponder these final thoughts before you continue your journey: Seek the wisdom of sincere believers. Remain humble. Be diligent. Never stop learning. Give thanks. Seek nothing in return. Maintain a clear goal. Nurture your relationships. And always give glory to God.
Our eternal home is indescribable. What we know for certain is the life we are living in this world will not even be worth remembering in the world to come. “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than arrogance of spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) As we patiently wait for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our mission is to realize God’s perfect design for our life. Our goal is to discover God’s calling and find our place in His ultimate plan for the universe. We each have a specific itinerary mapped out in complete detail. When we lock in to those coordinates, we are on the road to fulfill our Creator’s plan for our life. We simply need to pursue this calling with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
“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 12:30
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