DEUTERONOMY 11:1 – You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.”

Informing today’s nugget theme in question form, it would be “What is life’s greatest purpose, privilege, pleasure, and pursuit?”, the answer is singular measured by one action. Both are found in today’s scripture. First, the singular answer is to love God and the measured action is obedience to His commandments. Before we move into this theme, a couple statements of encouragement.

Don’t be overwhelmed and dive into the pits of discouragement by our lack of obedience. We simply fall short of God’s commandments, but the true Christian grieves this falling short. We don’t intentionally seek to sin or disobey God’s Word and that is one of the strongest evidences of new birth. Yet, due to the weakness of our flesh, the craftiness of the devil, and the pull of the sinful world upon our hearts, we don’t measure up in our obedience. But here is the really encouraging part We don’t like the lack of obedience in our lives. In fact, we long with great intensity of affection for the day when no more sin, no more battles with our flesh, and no more falling into temptation will hinder obeying God as we desire. So, don’t stay in the pit of discouragement over disobedience. Rejoice over our desire to obey and then strive for more of it!

Another point of encouragement about fulfilling life’s greatest purpose, privilege, pleasure, and pursuit is God wants loving Him by obeying Him to be what drives all areas of our lives. And because He desires such, He empowers us by His Spirit and His Word to be able to do so. Yes, not imperfectly, but sincerely and that for our joy and His glory.

Now, as we move into the theme of the day, it is going to be “short and sweet.” There is something that must happen in our hearts and minds if we are going to enjoy life’s greatest purpose, privilege, pleasure, and pursuit–loving God by obeying God. This something is big, necessary, and we must get there or we will never get here–loving God by obeying God and thus enjoying life’s greatest purpose, privilege, pleasure, and pursuit. We must be convinced nothing or no one is able to provide contentment in life, satisfaction of heart, rest to the mind, and settled peace in an anxious spirit but God alone. We must be abandoned to the truth we were created for the Lord by the Lord and all happiness is found exclusively in loving Him by obeying Him.

So now would be a good time to look in the mirror and ask, “Do we believe that?” If so, our lives will reflect it as we seek Him who is life’s greatest purpose, privilege, pleasure, and pursuit. May it be so for each of us!

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for the Gospel of Your Son and its marvelous power to enable me to love You.”

QUOTE: “We were created and then re-created in Christ to love God. That is our chief reason for existing.”

Because of Him,

Pastor Jim