PURSUE God’s Heart

READY

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."-- Mark 12:30

SET

How might we define God’s heart? What does He really care about and what does He desire from us? We know from His Word that God wants our hearts. Jesus emphasizes the greatest commandment in Mark 12:30,“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” He wants the entirety. Jesus goes on to direct what He wants to do with our hearts: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is a weight of responsibility that comes with being a follower of Christ. We inherit His love and responsibility for other people.

As followers of Jesus, “we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ's behalf, 'Be reconciled to God'" (2 Corinthians 5:20). As we thumb the pages of Scripture we see again and again how Christ’s heart beats for people ­– every one of us ­– and as His hands and feet on the earth, we carry the charge to extend that care on His behalf.

In Acts 10, God called Peter to declare the Gospel to Cornelius and a household of Gentiles. God didn’t just send Peter blindly into the depths of his prejudice. God connected to Peter’s heart and addressed His cultural and legalistic concerns, and then sent Him into a setting where Peter would not otherwise go. It mattered enough to God that His Gospel be preached to Cornelius and those who weren’t of Jewish descent. We see God’s heart for all of us again when He transformed Saul to Paul, who would bring the message of Christ to more nations.

Every one of us matters to Christ. And if the parable of the sheep and goats found in Matthew 25:40-45 is any indication, how we treat each other and interact with each other also matters to Him. What we do for even one of the least of His (and our) brothers and sisters we do to Him, and when we refuse to help the least of these His (and our) brothers and sisters, we are refusing to help Him. Christ’s command is clear: Love one another. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Jesus removed the parameters of our love and how we express it. Love your neighbor, love your enemies, do good to those who persecute you. See Him hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison and choose to help. Even the obvious sins we are warned to avoid such as stealing, lying, coveting, adultery, and so on address the way we treat each other. “If anyone says, 'I love God', and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister (1 John 4:20-21).

Lastly, the Word reveals to us that Jesus Christ’s heart is for unity among us, now. There are few occasions in the Bible where we are privileged to read Jesus’ private prayers to God. Therefore, they are worth paying attention to. We get to read in John 17:20-21 Jesus’ prayer specifically. For all of us who would believe, Jesus prayed, “May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me” (v. 21). It is our unity as believers that should cause the world to believe that God sent Jesus Christ. Our unity matters to God’s heart.

In Ephesians 3 and 4, Paul's case for unity echoes the heart of Christ. He charges us with "making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3).

This is the work Christ did on the cross:­ ­reconciling all of us to God and putting to death our hostility toward each other (John 3:16). It is through unity in our faith we become mature in the Lord. It is through the unity of our gifts and talents–recognizing and embracing the diversity among us, allowing Christ to fit them perfectly together, and creating space for each part to do its own work–that build up the church in every aspect of life, culture, society and industry. It’s a holy and righteous calling. And, if all believers are destined to sit in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and have an opportunity to reign with Christ (2 Timothy 2:12), then we’d better start practicing and show that we can do it here on Earth today!

If I could summarize the call to action for Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, I Have a Dream, it would be to have the same heart for others that God has for us. God loves you and every person you see; treat each other well and with respect; and be the peacemaker–live peacefully in unity in Jesus’ name. That is the heart of God.

GO

• How does the Scripture to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" (Mark 12:30) inform our understanding of what God truly cares about and desires from us? How can we practically live out this commandment in our daily lives?
• What can Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. teach us about loving one another as we love Christ?
• In what ways can we actively contribute to fostering unity within the body of believers and fulfill the prayer of Jesus for oneness among believers?

WORKOUT

Matthew 5:9; Ephesians 3: 14-16; Ephesians 4:11-16

OVERTIME

"Lord, give me courage by the power of Your Holy Spirit to love with action the people You allow me to cross paths with. Let me not be afraid to reach out, to do Your bidding and to act in obedience to what You invite me to do. Remind me that I am Your servant, and the movements I make in respect and compassion toward others are movements in honor and obedience to You. May Your joy be my strength and pleasing You be my purpose and motivation. In Jesus’ Name, amen."

Shanta Crichlow