Who me?
Love God…With ALL my heart, soul, mind, strength?
At FORGE, we just concluded a 12 week look into the 10 Commandments found where??? Well, thanks to Pete we’ll never forget, Exodus 20!!! In the New Testament there is a moment when Jesus is asked…Which commandment is the most important of all?
Jesus answered, The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
As I read the devotional below, written more than 150 years ago by Charles Spurgeon, the language was a little different, but the heart of the message rings just as true today. As I thought about what it means to love God with my all, I recognized there are so many ways to answer that question and the challenge from Spurgeon is one of those ways.
Be ye separate.
2 Corinthians 6:17
The Christian, while in the world, is not to be of the world.
He should be distinguished from it…
You should be separate from the world in the great object of your life.
To FORGE Men…”to live,” should be “Christ.” Whether he eats, or drinks, or whatever he does, he should do all to God’s glory.
-You may lay up treasure; but lay it up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break not through nor steal.
-You may strive to be rich; but be it your ambition to be “rich in faith,” and good works.
-You may have pleasure; but when you are merry, sing psalms and make melody in your hearts to the Lord.
You should be separate from the world in your spirit.
FORGE Men should differ from the world. Waiting humbly before God,
-always conscious of His presence
-always delighting in communion with Him
-always seeking to know His will
You will prove that you are of heavenly race.
You should be separate from the world in your actions.
If a thing be right, though you lose by it, it must be done; if it be wrong, though you would gain by it, you must scorn the sin for your Master’s sake. You must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Walk worthy of your high calling and dignity.
Remember, FORGE Men, that thou art a son of the King of kings.
Therefore, keep thyself unspotted from the world. Soil not the fingers which are soon to sweep celestial strings; let not these eyes become the windows of lust which are soon to see the King in his beauty—let not those feet be defiled in miry places, which are soon to walk the golden streets—let not those hearts be filled with pride and bitterness which are ere long to be filled with heaven, and to overflow with ecstatic joy…..CHS
As Spurgeon said…The Christian, while in the world, is not to be of the world. He should be distinguished from it. As FORGE Men this is not so easy. It takes wisdom, Wisdom that comes from experiencing God on a daily basis like we do in our DAWG but also from making sure that our lives are lived alongside other men that we can both encourage and strengthen and by which we are encouraged and strengthened.
Separate~Together…Kelley
