And the second is like it:"Love
your neighbour as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments. Matthew 22:39-40 NIV
I have several varieties of octopi in my house and I
absolutely love them! Each one allows me to plug 6 - 8 electrical cords into the
same outlet at one time. As I was cleaning the other day and moved some
furniture to dust an octopus, I found myself musing on our life in Christ as
Christians.
Jesus said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. Matthew 22:37 NIV
I find that loving God means that all of me needs to
be plugged into the power of His spirit, all the time if I want to experience
his fullness in every dimension of my life. Much like an octopus which has
several plug outlets, but only one plug in that feeds power to each separate
electrical cord, the Holy Spirit is able to empower each individual part of me,
heart, soul and mind to love God as I plug into His presence and leading.
The emotions of my heart, the ponderings of my mind
and the yearnings of my soul all express my love for God when they are centered
on His will and way instead of my own. And the disciplines of prayer, praise,
Scripture reading, memorization, fellowship with other believers, hymns or
chorus singing, meditation and fasting are all tools which the Lord has given to
us so that we might focus heart, soul and mind on Him every day in every way.
These disciplines are not legalistic tools to keep us
in line, rather they are gracious gifts offered to us by our loving Lord to open
the way of freedom and empowerment in His Spirit. In fact as we employ them, the
Spirit is able to lead us to the best discipline for each and every life
situation enabling us to hear and know the voice and wisdom of God in a clear
and personal way, allowing us to not only love God, but also our neighbours as
ourselves.
Yes, I love my octopi for every time I see them I am
reminded of the need to love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my
soul and with all my mind that my life in Him may be experienced to the fullest.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for life in Jesus
Christ. Thank you for spiritual disciplines which open the way of freedom and
empowerment in your Spirit that we might each experience the fullness of the
Living Lord in every dimension of our lives. In Christ name we pray. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Atlin, BC
lynnephipps@hotmail.com
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