Tag: salvation

Now may God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13, NKJV

This week’s biblical lesson centers around the profound question: “How do you love God?”

Key Scripture Passages

• Deuteronomy 6:5“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
• Matthew 22:37–38“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
• John 14:15“If you love me, keep my commands.”
• 1 John 4:19“We love because He first loved us.”

Reflection

The question “How do you love God?” is answered not in abstract theory but in relationship. Scripture shows us that loving God is holistic—it involves the heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is not a single act, but a way of life.

• With the Heart (Affection): Loving God means treasuring Him above all else. Our desires, emotions, and devotion are centered on Him.
• With the Soul (Identity): Our very being belongs to God. Loving Him means surrendering our lives to His purposes.
• With the Mind (Understanding): We love God by seeking His truth, meditating on His Word, and aligning our thoughts with His wisdom.
• With Strength (Action): Love is not passive—it is expressed in obedience, service, and tangible acts of worship.

Importantly, our love for God is always a response to His love. We do not initiate it; we receive it and reflect it back. As John reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.”

Practical Ways to Love God

• Worship: Lift your voice, your heart, and your life in praise.
• Obedience: Align your actions with His commands, not out of fear but out of love.
• Prayer: Spend time in conversation with Him, sharing your heart and listening for His.
• Service: Love others as an extension of loving God (Matthew 25:40).
• Trust: Place your confidence in Him, especially in times of uncertainty.

Illustration

Think of loving God like turning toward the sun: when we face Him, His light warms us, and the shadows fall behind. Loving God is about orientation—choosing daily to face Him, to walk in His light, and to let His love shape our lives.

Prayer

Lord of Love, Teach me to love You with all my heart, to desire You above all else. Teach me to love You with all my soul, to surrender my life into Your hands. Teach me to love You with all my mind, to seek Your wisdom and truth. Teach me to love You with all my strength, to serve You with joy and faithfulness.

May my love be a reflection of Yours, for You loved me first, and Your love never fails. In Jesus’ name, Amen 💕✌️🙏

In an episode of the podcast “Rethinking God with Tacos,” Brother Pete Scheller delivered a profound message that resonated profoundly with me. He asserted that the Father yearns for acceptance, peace, love, and alignment with His divine perspective on humanity’s creation as both fearfully and wonderfully made.

The Father offers a path to freedom from self-hatred, restoration, reconnection, and a glimpse into one’s true identity as a cherished child. Scheller posed a question to listeners, inviting them to accept themselves as God has accepted them. He urged them to make peace with themselves, love themselves, and like themselves as He does.

Furthermore, Scheller emphasized that the Father sets individuals free from self-hate and self-rejection, revisiting them with His loving kindness, mercy, and grace. He restored their souls, reconnected them with Himself, and reminded them of their true identity as well-loved children of a benevolent Father.

Scheller concluded by offering listeners a glimpse of their reflection in God eyes, releasing them from their fears and grounding them in His love. He reassured them that He has this under control and encouraged them to smile, breathe, and relax, acknowledging that He has the ability to guide them into their future.

[Source: Rethinking God with Tacos Podcast, Episode: Pete Scheller / Dancing With Wisdom, May 21, 2023]

[Podcast Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rethinking-god-with-tacos-podcast/id1505604825?i=1000614337006&r=4100%5D

Please note that the provided audio content may be subject to copyright restrictions.

I would like to have my frequent prayer, answered that God let my life be meaningful in the enhancement of His kingdom, and that my life might be meaningful in the enhancement of the lives of my fellow human beings.

I call upon all the people of our Nation to give thanks on that day for the blessings Almighty God has bestowed upon us, and to join the fervent prayer of George Washington who as President asked God to “impart all the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves to the whole family of mankind.” – Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States of America.

“O Lord, our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served, but to serve:

Bless, we beseech thee, all who, following in his steps, give them to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, encourage, they may minister in his name to the suffering, and friendliness, and the needy; for the love of him who laid down his life for us, the same thy, Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, who lived and reigned with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.” Amen Anonymous 💕✌️🙏

Lord, I have sinned in all the branches of sloth; by my negligence, I have been slow in God’s service, slothful and negligent in the faith, and I have taken great care and thought for the ease of my vile body, and I have not remembered the words of the Scriptures, nor followed after them, by recent of my sloth. Again, I have not given thanks to God, as I should, for the spiritual and temporal blessings that he has given and sent me, and furthermore, I have not served God as I ought, according to the blessings and virtues that He has given me. I have neither said nor done those good things which I might have said or done, and have been slow in slothful in your service of Our Lord, and have done and busy myself in the service of the worldly things, and also I have better serve myself and my own flesh and have set more store thereby, than the service of my sweet Creator. I have long been full idle, whence many evils and ill thoughts and meditations come to me. – A Citizen Of Paris, c, 1393 From the Goodman of Paris: A Treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy

Key Scripture Passages

• Genesis 2:15
• Psalm 104:24
• Micah 6:8

Reflection

Our downtime is more than rest—it’s a sacred encounter with God. We’re invited to walk with Him in prayer and presence, like Adam in the garden. Listen with our hearts and respond with reverence.

To savor nature’s joys is to receive creation as a gift. Psalm 104 reminds us that the earth is full of God’s wisdom and wonder. The breeze, the birdsong, the rustling leaves—all are invitations to worship. When we slow down and notice, we are not just admiring beauty—we are communing with the Creator.

And to protect it with all your senses is to live as a steward, not a consumer. Genesis 2:15 calls us to tend and keep the garden—not just the one in Eden, but the one we walk through every day. Stewardship is not just duty—it’s devotion. It’s a way of saying, “This world matters because it belongs to God.”

Take walks with God to practice presence in creation. Use your senses to pray—see, hear, touch, and taste His goodness.

•  Protect What You Love: Stewardship begins with awareness. Recycle, plant, conserve, and advocate—not out of guilt, but out of gratitude.
•  Let Nature Renew Your Soul: When life feels heavy, return to the garden. Let creation remind you of God’s faithfulness and creativity.
•  Invite Others into the Fellowship: Share your sacred spaces. Host a prayer walk, a picnic, or a moment of silence under the sky.

Prayer

Dear Creator God, thank You for the beauty of this earth, for the breeze that whispers peace, and the soil that holds Your promise. Teach me to walk with You in every field and forest, to savor the joy of Your creation, and to protect it with all my senses. Let my life be a living prayer— rooted in wonder, guided by love, and faithful in stewardship. In Jesus’ name, Amen 💕✌️🙏

Merciful God,

You are an awesome God, full of compassion and kindness. Your love and mercy knows no bounds. Your heart is always turned towards those who are hurting, and who has serious needs. You are the father of the orphan and the husband of the widow. You give site to the blind. You have a special place in your heart for the poor.

I want to do good deeds and help others. I know that my family needs me. But I also know how much it pleases you when I reach out to others who are in need. I asked that you renew and me a heart of compassion and give me the strength to do something about it.

As I share with a needy with both my finances and my time, I will remember to praise you for the many blessings you have given me. Open my eyes to the need around the world – and across the street. In Jesus name, amen. 🙏 Mark Gilroy (1958-) From God’s Help for Your Every Need 💕✌️🙏

Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank you for your love. Except our thanks for your peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely.

Make us strong to do your work, willing to heed and hear your well, and write on your hearts with these words: “Use power to help people.”

For we are getting power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor your name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord.

The Lord, our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may he not leave us or forsake us; so that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways that all people of the Earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.

George H. W. Bush (1924-2018) Forty-first president of the United States of America. Excerpted from inaugural address, January 20, 1989

Everlasting God, who’s well is it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives in reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 🙏 From The Book of Common Prayer. 💕✌️🙏