(Luke 10:27- Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength)
1. Jesus refused to let anything take a higher priority in His thinking than loving His Father with all His heart, soul, strength and mind. (Luke 10:27) Even though there were many things that tried to vie for His allegiance, Jesus focused His wholehearted effort to loving the Lord with everything He had. The Lord Jesus knew that this would bring greatest glory to the Lord and would set an example for all to follow.
2. Jesus successfully showed everyone how to avoid letting good things overcome the best purpose in life. The Lord could have easily spent His time preaching, teaching or healing people, but He consistently showed by His entire lifestyle that loving the Lord with all of one's heart brings everything else into perfect perspective.
3. Jesus saw many examples of good people who became obsessed with riches, power, or positions of authority and He wanted to show it was possible to avoid these temptations. (I Cor. 10:13) The Lord Jesus lifestyle assures us that there is nothing that can keep us from following the Lord's priorities as God provides a way of escape from every tempting obsession. No one can keep you from doing 100% of the will of God except your own lack of love and obedience to the Lord.
4. Jesus knew that even great men and women could be sidetracked by "good" obsessions. He knew that it was easy for the disciples to think about whom would be higher in authority when they got to heaven. Yet, Jesus admonished them not to become obsessed with something that is only in the hands of the heavenly Father.
5. Jesus knew that the world, the flesh and the devil will continually try to deviate growing Christians from the most important objective in life - To love and worship the Lord with all our heart. Fatigue can make cowards of us all if we let it. Bitterness can make many so frustrated that they settle for second best. Even suffering can convince people that their cross is too heavy to carry. (Luke (9:23,24) Refuse to become weary in well doing as you replenish your love for the Lord with rich times of daily devotions of prayer and study of the Bible. Remember that Jesus said, "Mary has chosen the needful thing which shall not be taken away from her - the intimate fellowship and listening to the word of the Lord." (Luke 10:38-42)
6. Jesus refused to be dominated by even noble projects like planting and growing churches. The Lord knew that good things often become enemies of the very best of God's purposes. Only as we do the will of God out a gracious-thankful heart can the Lord properly bless our work.
7. Jesus disciplined Himself for Godliness so that He was continually filling His mind with the love of God that knows no limits to its length, breadth, height or depth. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons that Paul prayed, "I pray that out of His glorious riches He would strengthen you with all power. That you would be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know that this love of Christ surpasses knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:16-19) Ask the Lord to give you a greater appreciation for His all-sufficient love so you can reciprocate properly with a greater love for God.
8. Jesus knew that the things that obsess a person control them. For this reason Paul wrote, "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." (Rom. 6:13,14) Be careful of letting anything control you other than the love for the Lord and His will for your life.
9. Jesus knew that members of our family easily become obsessions. For this reason Jesus said, "Unless your love for Me is so great as to make it appear that you hate your Father, Mother, wife, children and brothers, you cannot be my disciples. Unless you give up all your possessions you cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:26,33) People, possessions and power are usually the biggest three areas that become human obsessions.
10. Jesus knew that only a growing love for the Lord is able to deliver us from obsessions. When people become complacent assuming that they are doing a fine enough job for the Lord, problems often occur. Paul said, "Speaking the truth in love, let us grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." (Eph. 4:15)
11. Jesus knew that people easily succumb to fear because they are obsessed with their own safety and security. For this reason Jesus gave us the commandment to Fear Not more than any other. Even though it may seem to make human sense to be self-protective we have to follow His example and be willing to lay down our life as an expression of our ultimate love for the Lord even over our own life. (Luke 14:27,28) God uses people to the extent with which they are willing to surrender ALL obsessions for Him and His purposes.
12. Jesus knew that people who are going to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness will have to do it with the filling power of the Holy Spirit. No person has the human strength or intelligence or capacity to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength and mind unless they are surrendering control of their life to the leading of the Spirit. (John 16:13) Let the presence of God assure you of His daily directives and power.
13. Jesus knew that the love for the Lord would be fed through a continual study of the scripture, meditating on it day and night so that we could be careful to obey all that we are commanded. (Josh 1:8) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
