Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – December 6, 2020
Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Mark 12:30
People who are emotionally healthy understand their flaws, and accept their imperfections as their need for God’s grace and forgiveness. Because they embrace this powerful truth, they are able to extend the same grace and forgiveness they have received from God to other people.
Emotionally healthy individuals take captive their thoughts, understand their feelings and control their behavior. When facing life’s challenges they become better not bitter. They learn to process pain, so it does not fester into ongoing relational conflict. The emotionally healthy love God, are loved by God, so they are able to love for God. They are peaceful people.
Jesus starts at the heart of the matter—our heart. What captures our passions and yearnings? Our heart is the seat of our feelings and affections. We are drawn to what we desire—what we value. Yes, the heart follows what it treasures above all else. In the same way an engaged couple each aggressively seeks to engage the heart of their lover, so as the bride of Christ we passionately pursue His heart. As our heart loves Jesus—He simultaneously settles and stirs our emotions.
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45).
If we serve in our own strength we can quickly lapse into a loveless routine void of the Spirit’s inner strength and power. Our emotions become frazzled and unruly, without the riches of God’s grace which abundantly fuel our faith and love. So wise are we to grow our capacity to serve by being emotionally healthy. A healthy heart is able to encourage other healthy hearts.
Love is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal of faith. Like the tip of an arrow love points us to God. Love commandeers all other graces to engage the Lord’s affection and His eternal concerns. When Jesus defined love as the greatest command, He gave us a glimpse into what He wants for the world and His children. A life motivated by love is only limited by its capacity to love the Lord and be loved by the Lord. Love is a muscle we exercise, so it grows in stamina and strength. Jesus starts with the heart in His sequence of how we can love God.
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I submit to Your Spirit to be the manager and filter of my emotions, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
Who needs for me to be more honest with my emotions in a loving manner?
Related Reading
2 Kings 10:31; Proverbs 10:11; John 20:22; Acts 2:33; Revelation 22:17
Taken from Boyd’s newest 40 day devotional book: Wisdom For Living
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Love is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal of faith. Like the tip of an arrow love points us to God. #emotions #wisdomhunters #truth #Jesus
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