One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:28-31
For the longest time I have prayed, “Lord, I love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength. I completely surrender all that I am to you. I surrender my life completely to you. Please make your will, your purpose and your plans for my life the desire of my heart. Please give me a heart more like yours. Please help me to think on those things you would have me think on each day. Please help me die to self and continue to grow more like you each and every day so that when others look at me they will see you in me. Use me Lord as you will to fulfill the purpose for which you created me. Please know Lord that I want more than anything to serve you because I love you more than anything and appreciate all that you have done for me.”
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:1-2
Through seeking the Lord, His will and purpose for our lives, seeking to fulfill the plans He has for us, and offering our bodies as living sacrifices to Him we are continuously being transformed. I love those epiphany moments when the Lord reveals a new lesson to me and I realize the transformation that has taken place within me. The amazing thing is that the transformation has already taken place before I even realize it.
This morning I realized that though the Lord is pleased that I love Him enough to want to serve Him by serving others; and though I want to help others come to know Him because He is so amazingly wonderful; He also wants me to serve others because I love them. As we acquire a heart more like the Lord’s we begin to care about others in a way we never have before. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” – John 13:34
When we can look at a complete stranger or someone who has hurt us and care about where they will spend eternity; want them to experience the awesome power of God’s amazing grace through His mercy and forgiveness; want to encourage them and help them to grow in Christ; care about their hurts and needs; and are willing to love them and help them then we know we are being transformed!
Wonderful post Alecia! Looking forward to following your blog. Pam Mosher
I am so blessed to have read this, , After reading your book and reread it you truly have been a blessing to me. And when you post things about your going through trials I have to pray for you, I know we must face our failures and run to God and reach out and take His hand.And we will always find comfort and safe in Him always, God bless and hugs<3
Thank you, sweet Marj! You are also a wonderful blessing in my life. I appreciate your prayers so very much. There is no place more wonderful than the arms of our Father! God bless you! ❤
Thank you for this post Alecia……..I needed to read this bad this morning. It is the love that Christ, the Lord Jesus had for us, that we need to see others through and with…….without that kind of love, we can never move on. Thank you so much for the post, it has been a blessing………..and congratulations on the new book. If you don’t mind me asking, since I am also looking for a publisher, who did you go with……..? This will be my first book also, and it is based on and around the Good Morning God writings………….have a blest day………Ann
Thank you for sharing! I am blessed that you found encouragement from the post. I think publishing a book based on your Good Morning God writings would be a wonderful idea! After much research I decided to sign with Tate Publishing. I pray your day is blessed beyond measure! You are such a blessing to us!