Test of love

Good morning! It is almost the new year. Do you feel at times that your love is tested? As we began the journey along this path, we knew there were obstacles, but the obstacles helped us explore areas of our life we had not been challenged by. What if there were those along the journey that would be used to determine the sincerity of our love? Deuteronomy 13:1-3 NET “Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the LORD your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being.” Wait, someone can come and tell us something true, but the intent is to take us on another path, but the person is being used by God to test our love to him? We must not listen to the words of that prophet because it will cause us to fail the test! 

Imagine as difficult as this journey has been even after we have been fully persuaded there are still things that can distract us. Now the solution is simple and the safe path revealed in the scriptures above. God wants “to see if you love him with all your mind and being.” 
There are three verses that God tells us to love Him with all our heart and soul. 

• Deuteronomy 30:6 KJ2000 “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.” 
• Joshua 22:5 KJ2000 “But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 
• Matthew 22:37 KJ2000 “Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 

Throughout this journey, we have received keys to ensure we stay on the right path. Those keys encourage us to stay the course and give us the insight to love. Again, love is not only emotional or calculated or even rehearsed. Love is a 100 percent commitment of the heart, mind, and soul. Love requires your entire being, and nothing can be withheld. All or nothing is what I’m hearing in this test. Love can have no reservations, and either you are in it or out of it. If you have reservations or even options when the test comes you will choose and usually choose from the mind or the heart and not involve the soul. 

He tests not those around us, but He tests us. The greatest part of being tested by a true instructor is that they are not looking to fail you, but they are testing you so that you can be corrected or even receive partial credit. My math teacher taught me to always show my work. When you show your work when the teacher is examining your results, they can show you where you made an error. We will make errors in judgment and even follow the wrong individuals on the path. Knowing this, I must say SHOW YOUR WORK. Show your work with all your heart, all your mind, all your being, and as Moses states, “you may live.”

The reward of living a life of love is just that, life. Without love, there is no living, just existing. We miss the joy that is before us.  I want to encourage you to show your work by loving God and those around you. You have not experienced life until you have surrendered to love and passed the test. Remember, don’t look at someone else's answer, that is cheating and will cause you to be disqualified. That is the prophet or dreamer that distracts you on your journey. They may have what seems to be the right answer, but it is not the answer you are looking for. 

God bless you, my beloved