And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment."

  - Matthew 22.37

The flame of God's love dwells in my heart/ as a jewel of gold is placed in a silver dish.

  - Attrib. to Colum Cille, Noli Pater (Irish, 6th century)

Place a jewel of gold in a polished silver dish, and what happens?

The beauty of the gold radiates and is reflected to every corner of the dish, affecting its very appearance, turning, as it were, the silver to gold.

Just so the love of God affects every other affection of our hearts. All our desires, hopes, aspirations, fears, longings, and every other sentiment or feeling - all these will be shaped and employed according to the measure of the love of God that nestles in our souls.

If love for God is strong, all our affections will be strong and rightly focused.

If love for God is weak and wavering, all our affections will be as well.

The way to gain control of your heart, so that you are not run around by feelings or passions, is to work hard at developing your love for God.

The way to grow in love for God is through reading His Word, meditating on His works, seeking His glory in everyday things and situations, and living in praise and thanks to Him in all your conscious moments.

God loves us and attends to us more than we will ever know. But the more we draw near to Him through Jesus Christ, and, in the power of His Spirit, settle into His presence and glory, the more mindful and grateful we will be for all the ways His steadfast love and faithfulness surround, sustain, and sanctify us day by day.

And then our love for Him will grow, and our hearts will be sanctified and transformed by the radiance of God's love - Him for us, and us for Him.

Are you urging the Christian men in your life to pray? Are you praying with them? I'm convinced that when men begin to pray, God will begin to stir in our midst for revival. You and I can help this along by leading men to pray more faithfully. Order copies of If Men Will Pray for all the men you know, and stay after them until they begin to pray as Paul instructs in 1 Timothy 2.1-8.

T. M. Moore, Principal

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