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A song of yesteryear [1965] gave the resolution to the ongoing conflict in the human race. What the World Needs Now is Love demonstrated that someone knew that living in peace required a foundation of love.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone…
Although possessing love as the remedy for our societal issues is packed with truth, it is impossible to love others without loving God first. God is love. God demonstrated the greatest Agape love for humanity that most do not understand. God and His Son, Jesus Christ, entered into a covenant that Jesus would die to redeem our sins. And for many, Jesus’ sacrifice is still not enough.
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
We demonstrate our love for God by our willingness to “Put God First.” As Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but thy will be done,” demonstrates surrender and obedience because our priority is love for God. Why do we struggle to love God? At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the answer to possessing the highest level of love for God and others, humility. Yes, Jesus the Son of God knelt and washed His disciple’s dirty feet because their hearts contained the sin of self-seeking pride.
Love = Humility + Obedience
Humility is the fruit of love. From our desire to love God, we do not live for ourselves. Every day, we commit our will, plans, and life to Jesus Christ. Our daily prayer is “God, not my will, but your will be done in my life.” There is no other theory or methodology that supersedes the Word of God. We cannot offer God our concept of sacrifice. In Genesis 4:3, Cain brought God an offering of the fruit of the ground instead of the lamb that represented Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Like Cain, we can become angry that God does not accept our offerings of giving Him minimal time, saying quick prayers and looking up a scripture or two on our electronic devices, but God has not and will not change His commandments. You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. Exodus 34:14. We worship tangible items, our assets, portfolios, careers, and people. Still, our modern idol is us. We live to please ourselves. Throughout the Bible, God proclaims that He will only accept a sacrifice that is an all-or-nothing offering.
Yes, it is a fact that love is the answer to humanity’s problems. Even so, our first love for God revealed by humility and obedience resolves our sin problems and gives us complete joy and peace. Our covenant vow is one of commitment to our Heavenly Father. When we love God with everything we have, our soul becomes full and overflows with love for others. We learn to love as Jesus loves us. Remember, God requires our whole heart and will accept nothing less. Love God, Love Others, and Love Yourself.
Prayer: God, we admit that we have lived according to our self-seeking desires because we do not love you as we should. And for that sin, we ask forgiveness. Reveal to us your will for our lives. We pray for a greater sense of purpose, to love you through humility and obedience. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. © 2021 Sonya Johnson, Faithful Fishers Ministry
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 