1 Lord, You should receive the honor, not us.
The honor belongs to You
because of Your faithful love and loyalty.
2 Why should the nations wonder
where our God is?
3 Our God is in heaven,
and He does whatever He wants.
4 The “gods” of those nations are only statues
that some human made from gold and silver.
5 Those statues have mouths, but cannot talk.
They have eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear.
They have noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel.
They have feet, but cannot walk.
No sounds come from their throats.
8 The people who make and trust in those statues
will become like them!
9 People of Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is your strength and shield.
10 Aaron’s family, trust in the Lord!
He is your strength and shield.
11 Followers of the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is your strength and shield.Psalms 115:1-11
What does it look like to love God with all of your strength? Mark gives us great advice:
To love Him with all your heart,
with all your understanding
and with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mark 12:33
For me, this is easy to do. Obedience is where I would say I fail. Obedience is where I should choose to study His word and not give into distractions. Obedience says not to place my expectations on others. Obedience is forgiveness of others. Obedience is forgiving myself. When our heart becomes aligned with God’s truths then all else will fall into place.
Sometimes it is stepping out in faith when we feel that we are called to fulfill a calling on our lives. God will honor our choice to be obedient and reward us. We will be laying up our treasure in heaven by submitting to His will. I hope to see my ‘mansion’ in heaven. I do not think I would mind a small one, but then, I am not sure I would stay in that building because I would want to be in His presence all day.
In John 14 Jesus says,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (Verses 1-4).
What a comforting passage to us. We know the story and how Jesus died on the Cross and was raised in three days. To the robber who was crucified alongside of Him, Jesus told the man he would be with Him in paradise. Jesus, always thinking of others, not of Himself.
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Father, thank You for Your Scriptures. Thank You for teaching us and showing us Your heart. Help us become more like Jesus—obedient, loving, kind, and always thinking of others. Not to be blind, but to have compassion, to have discernment, and wisdom. Wisdom in knowing how to help someone or when to refer them to someone else. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About Tina Marin
Obedience is a “tall order,” Tina. Thankfully, as we study God’s Word more we learn to love Him more. As we love Him more, we trust Him more. As we trust Him more, we obey Him more.
Yes, John 14:1-4, comforting, and I agree with you that I’ll probably be in Jesus’ presence more than I’ll be in my mansion. 🙂
This devotional brought to my mind the beautiful old hymn, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.”
https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/568
oh, to be like Jesus! not just wishful thinking…but something that we have been enabled to do!!! by God’s grace…and faithful obedience day-by-day. thanks for this, tina! <3
I know, Coleen! God wants to empower us to break free from our self-imposed prisons.