I spent some time in prayer this morning and did some reading. I came to Mark 12:30-31 and it really hit me hard. This was the response that Jesus gave when the Scribe asked Him what the most important commandment was. I believe that if we really lived this out we would see a shift in our homes, place of business, relationships, basically in every aspect of our lives. This commandment Jesus gave is some times difficult to live out for a few reasons.
First, the enemy knows there is power in this commandment and he will release everything in his arsenal to fight this which includes self-doubt, insecurities, as well as fear. If he can get us to be down and out about ourselves then we don't love ourselves and in turn can't show love to others because are so inwardly focused on how "bad" or "screwed-up" we are constantly reminded of.
Secondly, this commandment is sometimes hard to live out because at times we suffer from an identity crisis. Either we don't know what the Bible says about who we are in Christ or we do know but for some reason are unable to accept/believe/receive it. Let's face it life can be hard to swallow at times but the circumstances of life are never meant to dictate our identity in Christ. I have found that at times I have had to literally say out loud reminders to combat the lies of the enemy.
For me it's thoughts that tend to creep in and remind me of the old me and things I did in my past to which I say, "I have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16, Phil 2:5) and "I am holy and blameless before Him in love" (Eph 1:4, 1 Peter 1:16). This is just one example I used and believe me there are days I may have to mediate on this 20-30 times throughout the day, but this IS A FIGHT, and you need to make the decision if you are going to fight or just roll over. I know I have to fight because I've seen what my life looks like apart from God; it's cold, lifeless and void of any purpose and I never want to go back to that again.
So whatever you are dealing with today just know you don't have to let it steal your identity in Christ. For it's within this identity that you are able to move forward and be all that God has called you to be. Make the decision today to accept what the Bible says about you in faith. Once you've accepted it and are firm in who you are in Christ you are then able to love others and share the love of God as Christ commanded us to do.
If you need some help with learning who you are in Christ here is a great resource from Joyce Meyer Ministries that I used more than once. Who I Am in Christ
Take Care & God Bless,
-E
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