“My son [daughter], GIVE ME YOUR HEART and let your eyes delight in my ways…” (Prov. 23:26)
[The word ‘delight’ means bringing “EXTREME SATISFACTION AND GREAT PLEASURE.” Our Abba Father in this appeal speaks to us as His children: “Son, Daughter, give your heart to Me.” Our heart is that which the Lord God Almighty requires and from every one of us; whatever we give to our Abba Father, if we do not give him our hearts, it will not be accepted. We must set our love upon him. Our thoughts must be about Him, and on Him, as our utmost conclusion. The intents of our hearts must be fixed. We must make it our own purpose and plan to devote ourselves to the Lord, and we must be free and cheerful in it. We must not think to divide the heart between God and the world; HE WILL HAVE ALL OR NONE. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL THY HEART!]
“I LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE ME, AND THOSE WHO SEEK ME FIND ME.” (Prov. 8:17)
[We know of course, that God SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son. When we Love the Lord it is very pleasing to Him to receive our love and devotion!]
“Do not love the world or anything in it. IF YOU LOVE THE WORLD, your LOVE FOR THE FATHER IS NOT IN YOU. Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. IT DOESN’T COME FROM THE FATHER.” (1 John 2:15-16)
[The word for this kind of love is “agapao” a love of devotion, we cannot devote ourselves to the world AND GOD, we must devote ourselves to the Lord God Almighty, our Abba Father!]
“Whoever has my commands and KEEPS them IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I TOO WILL LOVE THEM AND SHOW MYSELF TO THEM.” (John 14:21)
[We demonstrate our love BY OUR OBEDIENCE because I Samuel 15:22 “…to obey IS BETTER than sacrifice…”!]
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS AND WILL REMIND YOU OF EVERYTHING I HAVE SAID TO YOU. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED AND DO NOT BE AFRAID.” (John 14:25-27)
[We have been given the GIFT of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into ALL truth, then to be obedient to that truth!]
“I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world [the devil] is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I LOVE THE FATHER AND DO EXACTLY WHAT MY FATHER HAS COMMANDED ME…” (John 14:30-31)
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS AND WILL REMIND YOU OF EVERYTHING I HAVE SAID TO YOU!
-Bill Stockham