How Do I Love Thee

"Christian purity is not the mere avoidance of evil, but the pursuit of good." John Piper, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

I am a rule-keeper.  I like to know where the boundaries are so that I can stay comfortably inside them.  I tend to impose this same mentality on my children (and yes, sometimes even my husband).  Don't climb on the couch.  Don't climb on the chairs.  Don't splash water on mommy when she's giving you a bath.  Don't feed stickers to the dog. 

But it's not enough to simply avoid things that are evil.  When I focus on the negative - what I should NOT do - I begin to feel trapped and restricted.  My focus should instead be on pursuing the good works that Christ created me to do (Ephesians 2:10).  I want to do as much good for the glory of God as I can.  Scripture says that the greatest "rule" or commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:31).  How does that flesh out in my daily life?

How do I love the Lord with all my heart?  By tuning my heart to sing His praise.  By rejoicing in Him for Who He is and all He has done.  By spending time with Him and hiding His Word in my heart.  How do I love the Lord with all my soul?  By placing my longings and desires at His feet and allowing Him to transform me.  How do I love the Lord with all my mind?  By purging the bad, mean, ugly, selfish thoughts that flow through my mind and choosing to dwell on that which is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).  How do I love the Lord with all my strength?  By giving Him the best of me and not leaving Him whatever is left at the end of the day.  By striving to be used and spent for Him instead of giving into laziness.

I want to love You in every way possible, Lord.  I want to pursue Your goodness and live a life of purity so that others will see Your light shining in me and will give glory to my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).