Sunday, June 3, 2012

Love Is Content...Conclusion of Love Commands

Well, it is time to bring this journey of the Love Commands to a close. Honestly, I could not have planned a better ending to a story…Love is Content. Isn’t that the absolute truth of it all? When we are completely satisfied with Him and really understand, He is enough. Wow! But, before we move on, please remember if you are just joining us, you will want to go back to the blog reading of March 22, 2012 when we started the Love Commands and read forward http://purejoyinternational.blogspot.com/2012/03/love-is-loyal.html).

Here are the previous commandments we have covered. Remember the first four commandments are about how we should love God (and our spouse if married). The last six are about how we are to love our neighbors and ourselves.


1st Commandment “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:1-3).

Love Command: Love is Loyal

2nd Commandment “You shall not worship idols” (Exodus 20:4).

Love Command: Love is Faithful

3rd Commandment “You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
Love Command: Love is Reverent

4th Commandment “Keep the Sabbath holy” (Exodus 20:8).
Love Command: Love is Intimate

5th Commandment “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).
Love Command: Love is Respectful

6th Commandment “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
Love Command: Love is Harmless

7th Commandment is “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
Love Command: Love is Pure

8th Commandment “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
Love Command: Love is Selfless

9th Commandment “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
Love Command: Love is Truthful

10th Commandment “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).

Love Command: Love Is Content

Is your love toward others content? Are you able to rejoice at their blessings and fortunes or are you constantly wanting what they have and are angry and bitter about what they have? Maybe you think they don’t deserve what they have. Do you think thoughts like “It’s not fair?” Do you compare?

My precious ones, God is not holding out on us! So many scriptures run through my mind right now that relate to this idea of contentment and lack of it. The children of Israel being brought out of slavery and all their complaints along the way come to mind first. Another one is the story of King David when God uses Nathan to rebuke him regarding Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 12:1-15. And the list goes on and on.

All lack of contentment comes back to one thing: a disbelief that God is enough and that what He provides for us is sufficient. I love the passage in the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray when it says, “Give us today our daily bread.” Wow! Do we thank Him for our daily bread? Most people are so busy griping about what they didn’t get yesterday and in the past and what they think they should get in the future that they miss out on what God is doing today. Lack of contentment will cause us to miss His presence in our lives daily!

And how is your contentment toward yourself? Wow! That is a loaded question. Really, when was the last time, if ever, you were content with you? That is a thought to ponder because some of you are killing yourself with expectations God never placed on you. His command is simply this…Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. Hmmmmm, if we are loving our neighbors as ourselves when it comes to contentment, I suspect we are not cutting anyone any slack. Ha, ha, ha!

As we conclude this study on the Love Commands, I encourage you to learn to pray these into your life daily or weekly. Ask God to let your love toward Him and your spouse (if married) to be loyal, faithful, reverent, and intimate. Ask God to let your love toward your neighbor and self to be respectful, harmless, pure, selfless, truthful and content.

Love you all, and have a great week!

His,
Vickie

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