Lifestyle: His Style in your Life

“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭4-9‬ NLT)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬


   We all know why Moses had to make it clear to the Israelites how paramount it is to put God first.  At this point on the Israelites journey, they are known to disobey God from time to time due to their stubbornness, impatience, and lack of trust. But when God finally makes Himself known to them again and does something that causes them to tremble and reverence Him, they quickly ask for forgiveness and are back on track with Him. Then the cycle would continue. 

   So let's be real, back when I was young and being raised in the church, God had to be part of EVERYTHING. Every day when my mom would drive us to school, she had us recite and memorize Psalms 23  every…single…day; until we had it down pact. Before we ate, we prayed; when we wake up in the morning, we prayed; before we went to bed, we prayed; and when we get in trouble, we prayed. God was literally part of our everyday lives and I thank my mom for raising my sisters and I in the ways of the Lord. But today, God is almost irrelevant in everything that we do now. He's not included in ANYTHING that we do anymore, even the smallest task. Let's be honest and ask a quick question: Is God the first person you think about when you wake up? Do you remember him when you have to make decisions throughout your day? I know there are a few no, yes and sometimes lingering through your minds at this point.
   In order to get to a place where God is the ONLY thing that matters and included in ALL that you do; it takes commitment, obedience, trust and love. Those are the things the Israelites lacked in their relationship with God. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy to get to that place of committing, obeying, loving and trusting God wholeheartedly, especially since the world we live in is already paving the path of independence for us. From what I've observed and me being one of them, there are people that do not want to depend on others or ask for help. They rather do it themselves and gain the credit. We have to remember that when God created us, he created us in his image. He also created us to call unto Him in time of trouble (Psalm 50:15),  to cast our worries on Him (1 peter 5:7),  to ask Him anything and it will be given  (Matthew 7:7). How can we not love God with all of our hearts, soul, strength and commit to Him? How can we not meditate on his word and bask in His presence? He has made it known to all mankind through His word that we are not alone in this walk and we can't do ANYTHING without Him. He provides the strength for us to do all the things we think we can do and we know we can't do (Philippians 4:13).  So commit yourselves to Him today. Wake up and thank Him for a new day and new mercies, worship Him on your way to school or work, praise Him while you're stuck in traffic, read His word while you're on the bus (don't miss your stop though), show your love for Him by loving others and give Him all the glory before you go to bed. Do whatever it takes to fix your thoughts on Him (Colossians 3:2).  Make it your lifestyle. 

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