“Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment” (Mark 12: 29-30, NKJ).
“The First of All the Commandments” or “The Greatest Commandment”, it’s the commandment that gives us purpose and makes God’s heart desires clear. It’s the verse that shines His light on what our life is all about.
We sing songs of praise to God. We read His Word. We pray. We’re doing all of the things we’re suppose to do, right?
But, in light of our verse, we have to ask ourselves if we are doing those things for the right reasons. Do our songs of praise come from hearts that adore Him? Do our minds search His Word to find Him? Do our prayers flow from souls that long for Him? Do our actions share His love? When your child is sick, our motives for doing these things easily become murky and not so pure.
When God’s people love Him passionately, great things happen. Seas are parted. Slaves are set free. Evil is conquered. The sick are healed.
When God’s people love Him with all that they are, they “shine like the sun at full strength” (Judges 5:31b NKJ). That was Deborah’s prayer, and it is mine now. I want to see what life is like when I shine for the Lord, not just a little, but at FULL strength. I want to find out what it’s like to mother and be a wife glowing with His power. How He could then use me to affect my neighborhood, my town and beyond is too awesome for me to imagine.
Can you dream with me? Picture you and your fellow Christians shining like the sun at full force. What do you see changing? I see a world being won by love for Christ – a world no longer able to deny Him. I also see great acts of compassion and kindness becoming the way of life.
But, let’s look more closely at you. If you were so completely God’s and shone for Him, how would your life be different? Would you worry less? Would it be easier to hand all your concerns over to God? Would you still feel like a failure and carry such guilt? Would you trust Him more?
I know, dear one, you feel so worn and afraid. You can’t imagine ever being able to shine even a little, let alone at full strength. You don’t think you even have the energy for it. You can shine, even in a storm. The good news is that you don’t have to make yourself shine – He will shine through you.
All you have to do is let go of any need you have to be a “perfect” Christian. Come as you are: broken, hurt, fearful, and imperfect. Come and rest at His feet. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30, New King James Version).
How do you take His yoke upon you and let Him shine through you? You draw near to your Father by reading His Word, praying, and praising Him. Ask Him to replace your yoke with His and give you rest. Then, ask God to help you love Him with all of your being and to help you “shine like the sun at full force”. It’s all His to do. You just have to open the door.
You will find that even, in the middle of your storm, God will use you, my friend, for His beautiful, good plans. While He’s doing that, you can trust that He will not leave you and your child out in the cold.
Your lives are for His glory, and no storm will keep you from shining!
In His Love,
Kimberly Ehlers
Now available! A wonderful little bundle that will really help you uncover your messy motives – your not so pure reasons for reading the Bible and relating to the Lord. They’re the “junk” that keep us from shining for Him. Once they’re exposed, God will remove them, purify your heart, and shine through you.
This bundle includes 2 downloadable audios of my “Messy Motives and Wrong Way Roads” workshop on Talkshoe with Cindy Rushton and an awesome little devotion, “Cleaning Up Messy Motives, Getting Back on the Right Path, and Shining Like the Sun!”. This sweet bundle will help you to dig deeply into your own personal motives so that you can be set free.
This version of Messy Motives is currently being completely redone. The new version is called “The Messy Motives of a Worried Mom”. The audio has been taped and the book is being written. You will love it! I can’t wait to share it with you!
Longing for a greater faith to get you through your family’s storm? You will love the powerful, life changing book of devotions, “The Faith Challenge“. It is a “challenge” because it digs so deeply into your hurts, worries and fears so that you can place every concern into His hands. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it!
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