February 11 – “A perspective/priority reminder”

I had another encounter with a penetrating devotional thought this morning.  The book is called Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby.  Here’s what they said:

If you told you spouse that you loved her at certain times but that you struggled to love her at others, your relationship would be in jeopardy.  Yet we assume that God is satisfied with occasional love or partial obedience.  He is not.

Obedience without love is legalism.  Obedience for its own sake can be nothing more than perfectionism, which leads to pride.  Many conscientious Christians seek to cultivate discipline in their lives to be more obedient to Christ.  As helpful as spiritual disciplines can be, they never can replace your love for God.  Love is the discipline.  God looks beyond your godly habits, beyond your moral lifestyle, and beyond your church involvement and focuses His penetrating gaze upon your heart.

John 14:21 says, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me.  And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Father, thanks for perspective/priority reminders.  I sure need a good jolt in that area … often.  Amen.