Our Love

God has demonstrated how we are to be by what He teach us. See the more we focus on ourselves we see what we are lacking, or how people have upset us, because of how they treat us, or by things they say or don't say. If we are married, we focus on what our spouse does not do for us, we focus on their mistakes and so on. The list grows. Our kids let us down, but we love them still, but still they let us down, we start focusing on all the things they do wrong and we lose sight of what they do right. The more we focus on the externals, we miss so much.

God calls us to do what? What is the greatest commandment of all? Luke 10:27 "He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Are you wondering how this applies to what we think about ourselves? Let me explain, the more I focus on myself, the more I lose sight of what is important, the more I lose sight of who is important. In Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." If I seek my own wants, I miss the very important thing of putting God first.

God's instructions are pretty simple, it is us who makes them complicated. We strive to go after the things of the world, instead of focusing our thoughts on God. The more we put God first, the more He pours out Himself on us.

How does this apply to you? Well are you struggling in your marriage, relationship, family, kids? What are you focused on? What are you looking for? If we focus on the issue that we are dealing with, we miss the very point of why that issue is. Change your focus from the issue to putting it on God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Really give Him praise that... or I had a really bad day and I have to thank Him for that... it's raining out again, I have to thank Him for that? Yes, in all things we must thank God.

Changing our focus allows to love the Lord our God with all of who we are and in return we can love the one we are with more, we can love our kids more, because our focus is no longer on what they did not do, but what God is doing in them through us. We become a tool and we are no longer focused on what we do not have, but focused on what God has given us.