Your All

Your All

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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Luke 10:25-28
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And He answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

The dictionary defines love as: the benevolent affection of God for His creatures (mankind); the reverend affection due from His creatures (mankind) for God

With All Your Strength

The dictionary defines strength as: the power to resist destructive forces; power to endure; vigor and vim.

Normally, those who are reasonably young have a natural strength, and many even up there in years have a natural strength. But then there are those who seem to have been born tired.

Actually, we were all born tired. You notice how babies sleep most of the time after they're born; but as they begin to grow, they stay awake longer and longer.

Some people, though, never seem to have come out of that tiredness and sleepiness. They carry it over into their adult life and gain more pleasure out of sleeping than anything else! I'm not talking about those who have a sickness or disease that makes them want to sleep most of the time. I'm referring to those who just want to sleep their life away.

We want to use the strength we have for the Lord. Whatever He would have us to do, we want to give it all we've got. We want to put everything into it.

Do all for Him with all your might — all your strength — from a heart of love. Don't murmur or complain. Don't fuss and fume. Do it from the depths of your heart with joy.

Sometimes, because what we're asked to do is some small, insignificant thing, we do it with murmuring and complaining. We're not satisfied that God has given us something to do. We want to do something bigger and greater.

What's really behind that type of an attitude is pride: wanting to be seen and noticed.

I believe God starts us off with the little things first. If we prove to be faithful there, He will eventually give us more to do. I believe He looks and listens to see if we're murmuring and complaining, and He looks to see how thoroughly we do the job.

If we do things just to please man, to have man see what we're doing, God sees our motive. But if we do things faithfully, even when others aren't looking, that's what counts; that really shows what's in our heart. That shows God our faithfulness and love.

As long as the boss is around, many work real good. But as soon as his back is turned, they goof off, just giving it a lick and a promise. Do you know what it means to give something a lick and a promise? If we're cleaning the floor, we'll just quickly wipe the center, leaving the rest dirty.

When God entrusts us with something to do, we should do it from the depths of our hearts. We should always be faithful, not doing it to please men but to please the Lord, in obedience to what He has placed in our life to do for Him.

We will never get into anything bigger if we don't prove faithful in that small thing. We must give the strength we have to the Lord, serving Him with all of our strength and all of our might.

When you have strength, use it in working for the Lord. The day will come, all to soon, when you begin to lose your strength.

"Your All" Means Sacrificing

Mark 12:33
And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Back in those days they offered up animal sacrifices. We don't do that any longer, but there is a sacrifice in the work of the Lord.

You may give finances each week to further the gospel; but if you're not loving the Lord with all your heart, all your understanding, all your soul, and with all your strength, it's not going to do you any good. It's not going to bring a blessing upon your life just because you give sacrificially to the work of the Lord.

With All Your Mind

Luke 10:27
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Mark included loving the Lord with all our understanding, where Luke puts it as loving the Lord with all our mind. Both of these mean to love Him with all the intelligence and keenness we have.

Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.

Notice, the commandments will be put right into our thoughts and our understanding, right into our mind. When we have been born again, God puts His commandments into our thoughts. We can't get away from them. They're deep within our minds, right in our thoughts and our hearts.

When Moses came down off the mountain, he had the commandments with him, written on tables of stone. He had been gone for such a long time (forty days and nights) that the children of Israel had turned to idolatry.

They asked Aaron to make them gods, and he made the golden calf. When Moses came down, he found them dancing naked around the golden calf! How quickly people can turn away from God when their spiritual leader is away. How quickly they can turn away unto other things.

It's so important to have a pastor who is spiritual, leading you into the way of life. It's so important to have someone who will guide and lead you into the ways of holiness and righteousness.

Holiness: That word holiness seems to be a nasty word amongst many Christians who fail to realize we serve a holy God.

I Peter 1:16
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

If we couldn't be holy, God wouldn't have told us to be holy.

Thank God for spiritual leaders who are concerned for the souls of those entrusted to their care, who will declare the whole counsel of God. They will let you know it's no time to be playing church: It's time to get down to business with God.

Yes, it's time to serve God, loving Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.

God is moving. He is moving everywhere. And He's dealing with individuals that it is time to get serious, for time is short. Yes, time is short. It's not time to play church. It's time now to get prepared to meet God.

If you're just a churchgoer, just showing your face in church to appease others, what's going to happen when Jesus comes?

Exodus 32:19
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

Those tablets of stone broke!

Today we have the commandments written in our minds and on our heart. Nobody can break what's written there. Sure, people can be heartbroken over the things that happen to them, but nobody can break the tables of flesh where God has written His commandments deep within.

His Word is ever there to comfort you in the time of need when you seem to be broken up over the trials of life. Yes, the Word is right there to comfort you, to help you through the darkest of hours. When there's nobody else who can help you, He's right there with His Word, and your ear can hear Him speak to your heart.

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

God number one! . . . First place! Yes, God should be number one in your life. Your love for Him should be first and foremost in your life. When you put Him first place in your life, seeking Him first, all else will be added unto you.

I'll tell you, friend, if you seek God first day by day, He will take care of you and see that you have food, clothing, and shelter. God will perform His Word. I don't care what the devil tells you. I don't care what other people tell you.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness: Seek His ways. His ways are righteous, the ways of true holiness.

True Holiness

Some pride themselves as being holiness people, but one look at them would tell you that they lack holiness. They wear barely enough to cover themselves and yet declare that they are living holy!

How do they live? What is being preached in their holiness church: true holiness?

Many churches have let down the standards of righteousness and true holiness. They no longer preach the whole counsel of God.

I believe if there were more preaching against sin, there would be less compromise amongst God's people.

True holiness is so very important. You're in the wrong church if they are only holiness in name and not living holy.

Yes, there's a true holiness — the holiness of God. God is holy and pure, and He expects His people to be holy and pure.

Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

If you love your parents more than you love God, or if you love a child more than God, then the Scripture says you are not worthy of the Lord.

We say we don't put anyone else before God, yet, perhaps, the one we are putting before Him is ourselves. Oh, we may worship God and love Him, but are we putting ourselves before Him? Are our own selfish ambitions and desires before God's will for our life? "I'll go do this because I want to. I don't care whether or not God wants me to. I want to, so I will!"

Self becomes god when we put our own interests ahead of God's interests. Self becomes god when we find time for everything we want to do — even if it means we have no time for church, no time to step aside to read the Word and pray.

Those who are guilty of doing this will moan and groan and complain because they have no time for devotions. But if you were to follow them around, you'd see where they have time for everything else. Nothing stands in the way of what they want to do. Nothing stands in the way of what they want to have. It doesn't matter how much it costs or how much time it takes: they'll find a way.

They'll make a way for everything else, but to give God some time? No way!

If you're one of these types of people, you need to get right with God. You need to put that thing down and put God first.

Matthew 10:38
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.

We need to follow the Lord stedfastly. We must conform to His examples, walking the way He walks, and, if need be, die for Him.

He laid His life down for the world! He laid His life down for you! He laid His life down for me!

Pursue Heavenly Treasures

Walk with God every day. Love God. Serve God. Do all He has commanded you to do. You will never regret it. But if you don't take up your cross and follow Him, you won't be worthy of Him.

Matthew 10:39
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it.

You'll lose this earthly life: all the wants, the ambitions, the desires, the prestige and honor. None of that will last.

Life upon this earth is referred to as the lower life. Heavenly life is referred to as a higher life. It's that higher life we are really wanting to follow after: those heavenly things.

Proverbs 11:4
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

Remember, all this materialism is going to perish in the using. If you have great riches, those riches won't save you in the day of God's wrath:

Colossians 3:1
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

If you've been born again, forgiven of your sins, and been baptized — burying the old man in that watery grave and rising to serve God in newness of life with Christ — seek those things above (see Romans 6).

This speaks of eternal treasures, those treasures which are found in Christ.

Those who have earthly treasures have their heart and mind set on those treasures. They worry about them, fearing someone will steal them. My, some of those treasures aren't even very costly, but to the one they belong to they are priceless.

I John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

We're not supposed to love things! If we treasure earthly things, that's where our heart will be placed.

Colossians 3:2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Set your heart on things above, and not on the things of this earth.

Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

If you treasure earthly things, that's where your heart will be placed. But, if your treasures are those things which are above, then your heart will be set upon those things above.

Those treasures you have in this life won't save you. Having a nice home won't save your soul. Diamonds and rubies won't save you.

When Jesus saves you, you are hid with Him in God.

Colossians 3:3
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Free from sin. Dead to sin. Dead to the world and carnality.

Walk in Freedom

John 8:36
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Jesus sets us free, but we need to continue on in that freedom. If we don't walk in that freedom which He has given, if we go messing around with sin, we'll only find ourselves in bondage to sin again.

Once you have been set free from sin, why do you want to bring sin back into your life? The old man is supposed to be dead, buried, with the new man coming forth in newness of life. Why do you want to be filled with carnality? Don't pride yourself in being a carnal Christian. There's no place in a Christian's life for carnality.

Spirituality should be shining from your life. It should be in operation in every area of your daily walk, in every situation, in every dealing you have with others.

If someone does something against you, how do you react? Do you get carnal and want to get even? Is that what Jesus did when they whipped His back? Is that what He did when they spit on Him, when they mocked Him?

Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

Your job is to pray. Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them!"

Psalm 31:24
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

You just be of good courage, loving the Lord and walking with Him.

There are those who will mock you because of your great love for the Lord, but take courage. It doesn't matter how many try to ridicule you.

Such a devotion to Christ is so different from the way that most worship and serve God. Most are content to be in church on Sunday morning. That's sufficient for them. And if they have plans to pursue pleasures on Sunday, then they'll attend church on Saturday or not at all.

If you're not all taken up with pleasures like they are, they think they're something wrong with you. They don't consider that there might be something wrong with them!

Since when have they become the authority pertaining to the things of God? God has supreme authority. If He has said it, let's obey.

If we truly love God, we will serve Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our might, all of our strength, and all of our understanding: serving Him with our all!