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“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” (Matt. 22:37-40) February 2011 Dear Friend, Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. Here we are in February already, and this month we are celebrating Valentine’s Day. This is such a wonderful holiday because it is all about love. Sweethearts take this occasion to eat out, give chocolates in beautifully designed heart boxes, and friends also take this day to show appreciation for one another. My husband always made this day special as we ate out in a nice restaurant; one that had tablecloths and candles, not like the usual places we ate at! It was nice to feel special for that day, and enjoy one another. God has much to say when it comes to love, because He is Love and this first commandment says it all. God wants us to love Him with all of our heart and mind, because this is the way He loves us! His eternal purpose for creating us is to provide a family that includes faithful children for Himself and an equally yoked Bride for Jesus as His eternal companion. Just think of that day when we will finally see Him face to face! Glory! We can set our love and affections on anything we choose. Our emotions generally follow whatever we desire to pursue. If we place God first in our life, then everything else normally follows in the correct order because we want to please Him. David determined to love God, he made that choice. “I will love You, O LORD, my strength.” (Ps. 18:1) David certainly had issues, he committed adultery, he murdered, he failed in many ways. Yet God said “Because he has set his love (heart) upon Me, therefore I will deliver him...(Ps. 91:14). David moved God’s heart, and he refused to give up! He had unusual insight and revelation of God’s heart. He found his identity in his relationship with God, not people. This identity determines how we see ourselves. David did not see himself as a king, he saw himself as a worshiper. This was who he was. How does God see us? He sees us as His children, His Bride, His Beloved. He created us, and as the saying goes, “God does not make junk!” After He created us, He steps back, and says, “It is good!” We may fail, but if our heart is centered on God, in loving Him, and we are truly repentant, He is quick to forgive. This does not mean we are free to deliberately sin and then expect to be forgiven. If we truly love Him, we “will” to follow Him and keep His commandments. If we fill our mind with that which inspires love for God, we will grow in our understanding of Him. Whatever we do with our mind affects our capacity to love. Therefore, we should think on things that are of good report. “Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy..meditate on these things.” (Phil. 4: 8) “Return O backsliding children says the Lord, for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” (Jer. 3:14) A marriage covenant is one that is binding. If God is married to us, then our relationship with Him is binding. If we truly love God we will refuse to give up. Take time out today to ask, “who am I?” See what answers you come up with. Where does your identity lie? Is it in your education? Riches? Good looks? Your job position? What is your dream? Our mind is an internal movie screen that continually gives us pictures. It is like a camera that stores our memories. We are the producer, the director, the leading actor, and consumer in these internal movies. We are both the hero and the villain. Our mind will never turn off. We can rewrite the script of the movie by reading and meditating on God’s Word and following it. When we think upon the truth of who God is, our thoughts become in line with what He says in His Word. When we think of how much He loves us, we will see ourselves in a different light. We are no longer orphans, we are His children, and joint heirs with His Son Jesus Christ. “And if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:17) What does this say about your identity now? Can you see how much God loves you? If we are joint heirs with Christ, then everything that He has belongs to us! That means love, joy, peace, healing, eternal life and so much more! It means that God so loves us, just as He loves His Son, that when we follow Christ, He sees us as He sees His Son. This is our identity! This is who we are! And with this comes the responsibility to love and serve Him with all of our heart. It means to fill our mind with all that inspires love for God. It means giving up what the world may say about us, and knowing our true identity. It means loving Him with all our heart, our mind, and our strength, and making Him all in our life. It means living our life for Him, keeping our relationship open the way lovers do. We are His lovers, our heart belongs to Him. Let us pray... Father, in Jesus Name, I come before You and worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for saving me. I give my heart to You and I will live for You for Your glory. Hold me tight Lord, and let me see who I am to You. I love You. Amen! God bless you, and Happy Valentine’s Day! Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.
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