Do I Love Him Enough?

Oh, how I love my Lord. I think about Him all day long. When I get up and when I lay down, He is on my mind. John 14, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. If you had really known Me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him! ...If you love Me, obey My commandments. ...All who love Me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and We will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love Me will not obey Me...I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

It is all about love! Do I love Him enough to obey Him? Do I love Him enough to love others? (13:34), "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." This morning I did not respect my husband the way that I should have. It was a simple little statement, but a jab non the less. We have been on a very tight budget for some time now. Part of that budget was something that I greatly valued, food. I want to feed my family only organic food. I want to check the ingredients and make sure that there is nothing harmful in the brand of food that we buy. In saying this, my brother-in-law who is also all organic, made a statement about not having the box of cereal for me to check the ingredients. I came back with the comment of, "No problems there we are on a Fruit Loops diet now." That is a jab toward my husband and I should not have said it.

Jesus did not come to bring condemnation, but to bring the gift of peace of mind and love. I am not going to walk around today, while I am on vacation, with a spirit of condemnation because of a statement that I made at 6:30 this morning. I have made those statements before, and for the first time today, I saw my husband's heart in front of his brother and how I pierced it. My eyes were open to him and I will do my best to live with a spirit of appreciation since we do still have our house and our budget is for our home!

I make mistakes all of the time. When the scripture says that "If you love me, obey my commandments," does not mean that I will not make mistakes. What it mean is that I will be open for correction, and I will walk with my eyes wide open, and try my best to live with a spirit of love for others around me. In doing this, He assures me that I will have peace of mind. I try my best to walk according to His commandments and in doing this I walk with a joy that I have never known before. Before, I walked with a spirit of condemnation and an attitude of self righteousness, thinking that no one had the right to correct anything that I did. I have discovered that there is nothing free there. Freedom comes by walking in His light and love. Do I love Him enough to check my attitude and my words that I express, even if they are simple little statements? Do I love Him enough to respect my husband? Do I love Him enough to lay down my desires for others? Do I love Him enough?