A Vision to go Deep with God

What could God who has everything possibly want?  What is it He is searching for?

Mark 12:28-30, “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this:  Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
 
God is looking for LOVE. He is after my heart. He is after your heart. I am what God is after! You are what God is after!  God is searching for those who would follow after Him with a spirit of obedience, an abandonment to God. God wants to take over my life and He wants to take over your life!  What better hands could our lives be in? 
 
Love is the currency of the Kingdom of heaven.  The message of love is mentioned over 290x in the New Testament.  It is a priority that we understand what Jesus is calling us to.
 
God loves us with ALL His heart, ALL His soul, ALL His mind, ALL His strength.  He is looking for an equally yoked bride for His Son, Jesus.  One who will love Him with all the heart, all the soul, all the mind, all the strength. 
 
In John 17:26, Jesus is praying to the Father and he says, “I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the LOVE YOU HAVE FOR ME may BE IN THEM and that I Myself may be IN THEM.”  This is a supernatural exchange.  It is the revelation of God’s love that equips our hearts to love Jesus.  His love will renew, saturate, strengthen, sustain, lift and empower us.  
 
God pours His love into us so we can love Him supernaturally. Look how Paul described it in Romans 5:5:

• “…we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit” (message)
• “…God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us…” (NIV)
• “For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” (NLT)

 
The Greek-Roman world of the New Testament times had never dreamed of such a love. Its gods were known for lusting after women, but never with loving sinners/mankind. The New Testament hearers had to be introduced to a virtually new Greek word, AGAPE, to express the love of God.  This love was transformational to them and it is to us also.
 
We love God on God’s terms.  Jesus said to his friends, “If you love Me, obey My commandments,” John 14:15. Loving God is the 1st priority to God.  It is a glorious end in itself!  We must set our hearts to obey the Word of God and run hard into the heart of God! Love is expressed through obedience.
 
Love is our measure of maturity. As love increases, we grow in more authority in the Spirit, because we are aligning our hearts & minds to the desires of the Kingdom of God. This is not a popular message.  Never apologize for cultivating love for God and don’t apologize for your intensity for God. 
 
Our primary assignment on the earth is to grow in love. Our highest calling is to move God’s heart with our love.  Our greatest purpose is to love God. What are you giving your time, energy, heart, affections, worship to? Evaluate your heart: Ask the questions: Is my primary assignment on the earth to grow in love? Is my highest calling to move God’s heart with my love? Is my greatest purpose to love God?  Realign those priorities that are not affecting your love for God.  Be determined. Go after a holy momentum. Love does not automatically grow.  It diminishes unless we intentionally cultivate a responsive heart. 
 
Realigning our Lives for LOVE.  How do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?  This is a slow, day by day transforming process. Embrace the process, knowing God loves the process.
 
To love God with all your heart is to set your affections and attention on Jesus.  The heart is about your emotions.  Fix your heart to be filled with zeal for God and your emotions will eventually follow. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  God sees the “yes” in your heart. Say “yes” over and over and over.  What do your emotions tell you about where your affections and attention are placed?
 
To Love with all your soul is about your personality, which is most dynamically expressed by your words or your speech. Determine to express your personality by speaking and acting in a way that enhances love, not diminishes love.  As you fix your heart on God, let your speech follow. The more you get the Word of God in your heart & mind, the more your soul will align with love for God. What do your words tell you about where your heart is fixed?
 
To love God with all your mind is about your thought-life and attitude. This is your inner world. Fill your mind with long meditation on God’s Word and resist putting anything in your mind that would hinder or diminish love for Jesus. It is time to take every thought captive. This is a process, that we work at because of love.  With what is your thought-life meditating on? What fills your mind? That will be expressed through your emotions (heart) and your words (soul).
 
Lastly, to love with all your strength speaks to your resources: time, energy, money, talents, reputation, influence, etc. Being diligent to use your resources or strength for His glory. This is a way to give love back to God. It expresses love to Jesus.  What or who do you give your time, energy, money, talents, etc to? The outflow of your strength will show you what or who you love.
 
The first and second commandment cannot be separated. When you love God, you will automatically overflow with love for others. The first commandment empowers us to love others, which is the second commandment.  The more you grow in love for God, the more it will be expressed to others.
 
Mark 12:28-30, “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this:  Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. This is no commandment greater than these.’”