…that we [should] love and serve our God!

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  [Mark 12:30]

I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.  [Psalm 138:1]

I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.  [Psalm 9:1]

And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.  [Jeremiah 24:7]

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  [Matthew 22:37]

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  [Psalm 119:10]

Not only should we love our God fervently, but we are instructed to do so!  These scriptures don’t say, “love Me in your spare time”, “love Me when it’s convenient”, “love Me on the weekends you have/don’t have the kids”, “love Me in between boyfriends”, “love Me when you’re in church”, “love Me when you’re in trouble” …

We are to love Him at ALL times, during the bad, the ugly AND the good!  He is not a ‘fair-weather’ God and we are NOT called to be fair weather followers!

This is something that upsets me in a way I cannot even put into words!  I know so many people that limit themselves in their belief, they draw a line, they hold back … however you want to describe it, they just don’t give God everything!  They don’t serve Him with a whole heart!

No matter who you are, no matter your position, no matter who your friends are, you cannot face this world alone!  You cannot control your surroundings and circumstances!  You NEED God’s help!  You NEED to commit to Him with a whole, sincere and complete heart!  -We all do!

I cannot even describe the contentment, the peace, the joy that comes with allowing God to renew you!  Everything is more bearable!  Your perspective of the world, the evil, the heartache - it all changes!

Include Him in everything you do!  Prayer doesn’t always have to be formal.  There will be times when you need to get on your knees, but in general, you can always talk with the Father!  He wants our love and our friendship!  Go to Him while you are washing dishes, folding laundry, cutting grass, etc.!  Make Him a major part of your life – not just an occasional acquaintance!

The key to it all is this, the more you give to God, the more He will give to you!  I guess you could associate it with exercising … the more you put into it – the more you get out of it!  The more you challenge yourself - the more you will transform!

When you are passionate about your walk with God, He will bless you, you will continue to give Him more and He will guide your steps, you will grow closer to Him and ultimately see wonderful, magnificent results.