“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38, NIV)
God wants to be at the very center of your life. He doesn’t want to be on the edge of your life, and he doesn’t want to be just a segment of your life. The God of the universe — the God who made you and loves you — wants to be the hub of your heart and the axis of your existence.
Here’s another way to look at it: God wants to have a love relationship with you.
The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38, NIV).
The truth is, you’re going to center your life around something. You may center it around your career, your family, or your hobbies. You may center it around making money or being popular. But putting anything besides God at the center of your life is an idol. Exodus 20:3-4 says, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea” (NLT).
How do you know when something has taken center stage in your life instead of God? It’s simple. When God’s not at the center of your life, you start to worry and stress out; you get fearful. These are the warning lights that God is no longer the nucleus of your heart.
In contrast, how can you tell when your life is centered on God? You’re at peace. You stop worrying. The Bible says, “A sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:7, The Message).
Ask yourself this: “What’s going to be the center of my life for the rest of my life?” It’s the most important thing you will ever have to decide.
Prayer
Lord, be at the center of my life and grant me the peace that Your love and grace bring. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
