I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Jesus Upholds the Law
Jesus was considered a great teacher of the Torah (the first five books in our Old Testament). His ability to teach those books amazed even the most educated priests and Pharisees.
In Matthew 22, his apostle writes about when He was in Jerusalem talking with the spiritual leaders of His day and handling the hard questions they asked. Jesus had just settled a question asked of Him by the Sadducees (a spiritual sect), and was now facing the Pharisees who wanted to test and trap Him.
One of the Pharisees asked Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answered them by saying:
“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 first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37-39 ESV
If anyone could sum up the law of God it was Jesus. He made it clear that those who believe in God will first love Him with their whole selves, and second, love those they come in contact with as themselves. This was what the law depended upon.
The only way we will love other people well is if we first devote ourselves to loving God and allow ourselves to be loved by Him. Growing in love for God involves intentionally spending time in His Word, having honest conversations with Him, and reflecting on His character every day, throughout the day. Showing love for God looks like doing what He commands—and that includes loving the people around us the way that God loves us.
So in what ways do you already love God with your heart, soul, and mind? And what steps can you take to love those around you today?
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something.
Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building a career, or amassing possessions. While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation were so great that nothing on this earth could compare to doing His work.
Paul said that nothing in his life mattered as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of ...
