I think most of us would agree that the priorities of our nation are off-track! Money, power, fashion, and prestige seem to take preeminence above other things that are far more important. Everyone has a perspective of what they deem as central in life, but there is one thing that indeed is important. Here is what Jesus had to say about it. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mk 12:30-31

Where did the American church get off track? We have treated God as we would a gym membership and people as if they don’t really matter. Christianity is not about adding God to our life, it is about God being our life! Christianity is about love!

Matthew 18:7-8 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

Things that invade and take over the place of love in our lives are the things that God hates! This is why God never intended for us to live by the law i.e. our own righteousness. Self and self-righteousness are the opposite of the world of love! This is why Jesus called us to deny self. Take a look.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ Matthew 16:24-26

When we finally surrender to the revelation that we can never be good enough to deserve God, then we can begin to enter into the life of being truly loved, forgiven and free! It is impossible for you and I to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The only way we can love God with “all” is for him to do it through us! We MUST realize that the righteousness that God requires is the righteousness that comes from FAITH and displays all the attributes of love. The righteousness that God requires is a free gift for those who will receive! The righteousness that God requires comes from love.

Oh, that we would know how passionately in love with us God is. More than anything else, he wants you to believe him! We are what we believe! Focus today on believing God! Have full confidence in what his word declares. Meditating on his love for you will cause you to love him and live a life that looks like him. I can assure you of this, the more you live inside of the love of God the more you will release into your home, city, state, and nation what is indeed the…

HIGHEST PRIORITY!

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