By 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 of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
God has been showing me the true purpose of my life. I may not know my specific ministry type, or what locations I will go to, but the Lord is simplifying so much in my mind. The Lord told us that when we seek Him, we WILL find Him. He also may humble you in the process, haha. The mysteries of the Lord are worth seeking, my friends. The truth, that is Jesus, will really set you free. Everything the Lord says, or said, has a purpose. God is so much more intricate than you probably realize.
Now, we can unpack so many things in the verses we have today. We are instructed to love the Lord with everything we have. This means reading our Bible, spending intimate time with the Lord, going to the secret place, and learning who our Jesus really is. We are to do this first, above all else. When you aren’t sure what to do next in your life, seek Jesus and just love on Him. This is to always come first, as the scripture says.
Then we are to love others as ourselves. When you develop a true relationship with the Lord, you start to love yourself the way Jesus loves you. You see yourself as valued, and created beautifully with an amazing purpose in the Lord. When you love Jesus first, everything else falls into place and thus you are able to love on the world the way the Lord intended. Your neighbor includes your physical neighbor you live beside, the person who wronged you, and those across the world. Every person walking this earth is a beloved child of God. Everyone is important and valued to the Lord. We all have a specific purpose and calling on our lives. Ask the Lord to teach you to see others the way He sees them, with love and compassion.
In the last verse, it says that all of the Law and Prophets hang on those two commandments. That is how important they are. Loving God and others is everything. It’s literally our #1 duty in life. It’s really so simple, but not always so easy. That’s why we can’t neglect our secret time with the Lord. Spending time alone with the Lord is the only sure fire way to refill our cups and be equipped for the battle ahead.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
After we get these things in right priority, we are instructed to go and make disciples of all nations. But notice how it says to teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. The Lord has been revealing to me how important it is to develop a relationship with the newly saved. When you become saved, you are basically attaching a spiritual target onto your back for the enemy. The enemy’s entire goal is to stop people from going to Heaven, so when you accept Jesus, you become a threat to Hell. We can’t just help people accept Jesus, we have to take it even further and teach them how to fight their battles. We need to teach every believer that they are in a war, and they have the tools to win.
How much more important is it for us to equip our new soldiers for battle, than to get them saved and watch them struggle to remain strong and armored up? Our society is all about cancelling others. Society neglects relationships, grace, forgiveness, and mercy. We are to be set apart. Let us remember what our lives truly boil down to: loving the Lord first, loving others, and teaching them how to be successful for the Kingdom. The war is here; we need equipped soldiers who know that the battle is worth fighting for, and already won in Jesus’ name! I encourage you friends to go the extra mile for the hurting and broken. It will be worth the fight every time!
Hannah Smith, author of the Moving Mountains blog, is a woman who feels she has experienced a lot of life in her 30 years.
At 19 years old, Hannah joined the Army. After moving around the country, getting a divorce and losing what seemed like everything, she landed back where God wanted her in Ohio, even though she fought the whole way. She is now in charge of the prayer team at her church and seeks the Lord with all she’s got.
Hannah is married and a RN, but works as a stay-at-home mom to her daughter, Isabella, and her son, Grayson.
She loves to hike, travel, drink coffee, and talk about Jesus. Hannah also has a heart to create a home and life in which she can be a safe place for the hurting and the broken.
To her readers, Hannah says, “I believe that God set every single one of you reading this apart, for such a time as this. It is my hope and prayer that God would use the words I say to change your life in a way you and I never thought possible!”
by leaps and bounds 