Memory Verse Monday: Matthew 22::37-38

"Jesus replied: '"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.'" - Matthew 22:37-38

Join me while I get philosophical for a few.

What is love anyway? 

What does it look like?  Does it have a certain smell? Can you feel it? What does it sound like? Have you ever tasted love?

If love looks like anything, then love has an infinite amount of looks.

If love smells like anything, then the possibilities of smells are limitless.

If love is a certain touch then I suppose love could feel like at least a billion times a billion things.

If love sounds like any one thing than it would have to sound like an endless amount of other sounds.

Can love taste like one thing... who decides... therefore the possibilities are endless for taste too.

Go ahead... try to define love, I dare you. Describe it. Illustrate love. 

What does God look like? Does God have a certain smell? Have you ever felt God? What does God sound like? Have you ever tasted God?

Go ahead... try to define God. Describe Him. Illustrate God.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

The Bible describes love like this:  Corinthians 13:4-7, NKJV. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things "

Couldn't God be described the same way? 

My favorite Bible verse says that "God is love"... 1 John 4:7-12, NKJV:  "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."

So I must ask, can you have one without the other? I seriously want to know how one can "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" without God being involved in the love? (Matthew 22:37-38)

"Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for creating each of us in such a way that we are capable of love (You). These words seem so insignificant at times, but I mean them when I say... I love you. Because of Jesus I can pray! Amen!!!" 

"Jesus replied: “‘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." Matthew 22:37-38

God is love and Love is God,

Vanessa

PS. Here's last week's memory verse... it's okay if you're still working on it! 

PSS. Philosophy, not my favorite college class. :)

Memory Verse Monday: Psalm 20:7

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name Lord our God." Psalm 20:7 NIV

via Pinterest

Here are a few different versions of the same verse: 

• "Some nations boast of armies and of weaponry, but our boast is in the Lord our God." - Psalm 20:7 TLB
• "Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7 NLT
• "Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7 AMP
• "Some give the credit for victory to their chariots and soldiers, but we honor the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7 ERV
• "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7  KJV

You might be thinking, "Chariots? Horses? What?" 

The emphasis of this verse is actually in the second part of verse. How is that for a cop out answer? Seriously though, put the emphasis in the second part of the verse. Let me teach you why...

Nowadays chariots aren't used much. The TLB version uses the words "armies" and "weaponry" instead of "chariots" and "horses", which makes it a bit more modern.

Try the words, "democrats" and "republicans" ~ Some trust in democrats and some in republicans, but we trust in the name Lord our God. <<<How is that for current events?>>> And I digress... 

via Dave Ramsey's Twitter & Facebook

Okay... getting back to my point (I think I have one) and this week's memory verse...

Try the words, "hard work" and "sacrifice". Or try the words, "their own strength" and "self-discipline". ~ Some trust in hard work and sacrifice, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  Some trust in their own strength and some in self-discipline, but we trust in the name Lord our God. 

Some trust in degrees... some trust in money... some trust is their spouse... some trust in alcohol... some trust in good deeds.... some trust in their church.....

The point to this verse (in my opinion):
 the Lord our God, is alone worthy of your life and your trust. You can trust your life to God and God alone. 

I suppose that's one of the many reasons why He is the "I am" (Exodus 3:14).

"Dear Lord, Of course I want to trust the big things to you. But I also want to trust the little things to you and everything in between. I love you. Amen."

God is Love (and worthy of your trust),
Vanessa 

PS. I don't usually recommend switching out words in the Bible for random words. In fact, never do that. Bad idea. But for purposes of getting the verse's point across I did just that. And since it's my own blog I can do that. < insert giggles here> 

PSS. Can you recite last week's memory verse, John 15:5, without cheating? If so, that's so great! If not, here's the link to the verse for a refresher. Blessings!