DAY 10: Loving God

I do not know what it was like when you first encountered Jesus. I still remember sitting in my very first car, a red Volkswagen Polo, parked outside a Lutheran church building in Germany. My best friend led me through a prayer that would change the rest of my life. The moment I met Jesus the weight of the world fell of my shoulders and I was filled with a joy inexpressible. I knew right then and there that I wanted to give everything in response to the cross.

More than a decade later I was sitting at my desk during one of the busiest seasons of my life. I pulled out a cheap spiral-bound notepad to use as my prayer journal and found myself writing the first line: Loving Jesus on July 6, 2014. It has been over seven years since that day and I still start most of my journal entries with these words. Why? Because it connected an ordinary day filled with normal, everyday tasks with my life vision - to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

Many people assume that the first commandment is automatically fulfilled when we pursue the second. The truth is: They really cannot be separated. But there is a God-given order to them. The first commandment needs to be in first place so we can actually do the second. God designed humanity to only function well when we are connected to our primary life purpose. It is in receiving God's love and loving Him in return that we receive the grace to love one another. 

TIP: Have you ever kept a prayer journal, a place where you write down your prayers instead of just thinking or speaking them? It helps me center my thoughts and document the Lord's work in my life and heart. It is a tangible piece of history of my love for Him.