January 12, 2025

LOVE GOD (MATTHEW 3): STEP IN, STEP OUT

 January 12, 2025

 Matt Willmington

A new year began twelve days ago—and more than likely, millions of resolutions were made. Did you make any? For the person who believes in Jesus Christ, and who professes to love God, there is one that is a priority: to follow God with everything we are. It sounds so simple, but it is harder to practice every day than a diet. We need to be obedient to the commands God gave in the Scriptures. That is, love Him above all else, do not take His name in vain, and before performing any action ask yourself, “Is this what God would have me do?” We are to love other people, even those who hate us. Already, leaving off breads and sugars sounds easier, doesn’t it? So, what steps do we take to show we love Him with all that we are? The Bible tells us how to do it. Read it, then just do it.

Focal Passages: Matt. 3:13-17, 22:35-40, Mark 1:9, 9:7, 12:30, Luke 3:21, 9:23,10:27, John 3:35, 5:20,10:17,14:31,17:23-26, Eph. 5:2, Rom. 4:25, 8:32, Gal. 2:20.

HOW DO I LOVE GOD:                                                                                                                              

  • Read Mark 12:30. How does Jesus say to love God? What is love? How is God’s love for us shown? What does it mean to love God with all your heart (emotions)?
  • What is our soul? Why is our soul so important? How does the Holy Spirit interact with us? Does any other created being have a soul? Can we quench the Holy Spirit living within us? How?
  • What other word could be used for our mind? If we are loving God with all of our intellect, what are some things we will not do? Read Job 31:1. Why did Job say this? What was he avoiding? What about our speech? Read 2 Tim. 2:16. Why do we have the phrase, “We are what we think”? Why is our mind so vital to our spiritual walk?
  • What are some meanings of “strength” besides being strong physically? How can we honor God with our strong will? Does your love for God cause you to seek Him for your decisions? Looking back, do you feel you loved Him more at the end of 2024 than you did in 2023?

HOW DO I FOLLOW JESUS:

  • Read John 14:31. What did Jesus do that proved He loved God the Father? Read 1 John 2:3. How do we prove that we know—and love—God? What is the most important way that we know we love Him?
  • What is so vital about reading your Bible regularly, and praying constantly? Read 1 Thes. 5:17. Do you have a child/grand who can talk ‘without ceasing’? That is actually what the Greek word means (that type of talk—not the child!) How can we develop a prayer life like that? Does it embarrass you to talk aloud to God all day? It shouldn’t. He is listening to every word you speak and knows every thought.
  • Where do you have to be to worship? What does worship consist of? Can you take everything you are to God and give it to Him? Will He make something good out of it? How can you serve in your community? Can this be part of worship? Read Col. 3:17.
  • Are you pushing back against the darkness around you, in your town, state, or country? Is this what it means to Serve and Share your faith in and love for God?

HOW TO DIE TO SELF:

  • Read 1 Cor. 15:31. What does it mean to die to yourself? What are times that we must die to ourselves in order to live for the Lord? What does the word “die” mean? Is it safe to surrender everything to God?
  • When we have come to the end of our rope, and don’t know what to do, what should we do? Will God ever reject us? Read Isaiah 55:7.
  • Read Matt. 16:24 and Luke 9:23. What is Jesus saying? How did He take up the Cross? What were some of the things Jesus endured that He could have stopped?
  • Will Jesus ever ask us to do what He would not do? Will He always equip up for whatever tasks He has for us? Then why are we so afraid to trust Him with it all?

Close:

Even before a baby knows who his (her) mom is, they know hunger. In a hospital nursery, babies are crying to be fed within a short time after birth. If we liken that to our spiritual lives, then we should be able to testify that if we meet Jesus Christ, we should “hunger” to know Him daily. Not just one time a day, but on a constant basis. A baby doesn’t get fed once in a twenty-four-hour period, they eat on a frequent, regular schedule. This is how it should be with us. We should look forward to the time(s) in our day when we can read His word, letting it feed our soul. This precious Book is filled with God’s love letters to us, and should be more important than those written to us from the one who loved us enough to marry us.

The second sign that someone is a true believer is the desire to talk to God—in fact, in Gal. 4:6, Paul writes that He sends the spirit to our hearts that we can cry out to Him ‘Papa’. Can you imagine running to God, calling ‘Papa’! It’s almost too much, isn’t it? Yet we all know marriages that have communication problems. What would it be like if there is zero communication? No one wants a marriage like that. P.T. Forsyth said, “The greatest sin is the sin of prayerlessness.” Keep your relationship with Jesus filled with semi-colons throughout your day. If you put your Bible reading and pray life first, most of your problems will become the small stuff you won’t sweat.

By Sandy Day
January 12, 2025

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