October 6th, 2023
I recently led a devotional time for a group based on a chapter from the book Choosing a Life That Matters by Dennis Rainey. Specifically, I was sharing the book’s third chapter, which focuses on loving God, not the world.
In this chapter, Rainey addresses the idea that God and the world are competing for our affection… and one is winning. How do we know which one it is? We look for the evidence. Rainey helps us think about this by providing a list of things we do if we love someone.
If we love a person, we like to think about them.
If we love a person, we like to hear about them.
If we love a person, we like to hear from them and read what they have to say.
If we love a person, we like to please them.
If we love a person, we like their friends.
If we love a person, we are jealous about their name and honor.
If we love a person, we like to talk to them.
If we love a person, we like to be with them.
As I read this list, I immediately began thinking about my wife, whom I love dearly. One by one, I asked myself the questions. Do I like to think about her? Do I like to hear from her and listen to what she has to say? Do I like to please her? Do I like to talk to her and spend time with her?
That was the easy part, and I ended up pretty content with my answers.
Next, I applied those same questions to my relationship with God. Do I like to think about Him? Do I like to hear from Him and listen to what He has to say? Do I like to please Him? Do I like to talk to Him and spend time with Him?
Answering these questions about how I love the Lord was more challenging… and convicting. I want to answer yes to all of them, but like many reading this right now, I am also getting pulled in another direction by culture. This is where Rainey hits the nail on the head. The world and God are competing for my affection. I get to choose which one I am going to love.
Rainey cites Matthew 22:37-38 in this chapter. “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.”
If we believe those words that Jesus gave us, and we lean into them in our lives, then we know where our love needs to be focused. Above all else, we’re commanded to love the Lord with everything we have.
Today, that’s the challenge we all share. As we’re getting pulled away from our first love by our work, possessions, and desires for pleasure and power, we need to surrender those things. Rainey also reminds us that we also need to surrender some things that seem good and pure. We’re called to surrender our marriages, our children, and our time to the Lord as well, putting God first above all else.
Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. Start there. Think about Him. Listen to what He has to say. Please Him. Talk to Him and spend time with Him. Resist the world’s distractions, and surrender everything to the Lord, putting him first. Then, let God handle the rest.
