[Music] one of the things that I love about the Lord is that he loves to go to the places where he can find those who have been rejected those who have been hurt and abandoned he loves to go to places that nobody puts high on the map in fact Mark 2: 15-1 17 says while Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples for there were many who followed him when the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the Sinners and tax
collectors they asked his disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners on hearing this Jesus said to them it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick I have not come to call the righteous but sinner this passage epitomizes exactly why I love the Lord he is a God who makes it his business to go and place himself in a situation where there are those who've been forgotten denied shunned away and pushed to the side God loves to connect with people who others consider to be outcasts he's a God who
gives gives us what we don't deserve we don't deserve eternal life but he offers it to us we don't deserve the great love that he has shown us but he continuously gives it we don't deserve His Amazing Grace but his grace is still sufficient and none of us deserve Mercy but we have to thank the Lord for his Mercy the Bible says in Lamentations 3 veres 22 and 23 the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is your faithfulness now life can be
Bittersweet at times it's a combination of enjoying the good and pressing through the bad it's a balance between working hard and enjoying the fruit of your labor there's a duality to life smiles and tears defeats and victories love and heartbreak and the thing is all of us go through tough times all of us go through Seasons where it seems as though the odds are stacked against us and pain well pain becomes a feeling we're all too acquainted with in Psalm 119:71 David said it is good for me that I've been Afflicted that I may learn
your statutes you see the Lord is concerned more about our character than our comfort level he cares more about our growth as Believers than the number of blessings we receive I would even say that God is more concerned with the state of our hearts than our happiness I believe that as we go through life and face different trials should we remain in the Lord should we continue trusting in the mighty name of Jesus Christ should we stand firm and believe God's promises to be true then we will experience what the Bible talks about in James
chapter 1 verses 2 to 4 as the Bible says consider it nothing but joy my brothers and sisters whenever you fall into various trials be assured that the testing of your faith through experience produces endurance leading to spiritual maturity and inner peace and let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith lacking in nothing Matthew 22: 37-38 the Bible reads Jesus replied 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 and the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself all of Christianity can be summarized by two basic Commandments love God and love others let's look at the first of these Commandments given by Jesus when you love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind you will obey his word you will not have any Idols in your life when you truly love God you'll no longer have any affection for this world because the Bible says friendship with the world is enmity with God I believe that Jesus
said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind because when you've reached the point where you deeply truly are consumed by God God's love a transformation takes place it's his will that takes priority it's his word that takes priority the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind because when you do that all of your actions are geared towards loving and honoring God for example you will not practice
sin because God hates sin you will not become someone who tells lies because the Bible says lying lips are an Abomination to the Lord and out of love you live your life according to the Lord's will now it's interesting that the second commandment Jesus gave us is to do with people the first commandment has everything to do with your intentions your affections and your commitment to God above the second commandment is to do with your intentions affections and commitment to those around you because of God above we're encouraged to love our neighbors to consider their
interest and most people think you simply need to have a good relationship with everyone in order to love your neighbor but that's a very shallow view when you love your neighbor you're not just concerned about their physical well-being and that's it no when you love your neighbor you love them enough to care for their Eternal Soul and their spiritual condition meaning yes you give to those less fortunate and you help as much as you can but you also share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them and you share your own personal testimony of God's faithfulness
you pray with and for your neighbor you encourage them and you uplift them in Christ and so dear listener I pray that you hear me as I say this Jesus Christ should be our first and greatest love because when the Lord is the burning passion in our lives we will be transformed we'll be changed we'll be regenerated into new creatures it's only when God is the greatest love in your life it's only then that you can truly love your neighbor and so as we go before the throne of grace let's go with the intention to
have a better love walk and love life with God and to love our neighbors in a better way and so with all this fresh on our hearts and in our minds let us go to the Lord in prayer Our dear heavenly father Lord we thank you for another day we thank you for your grace and your mercies that are new Every Morning father I pray that you would strengthen our hearts today May the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith today may he remind us that when the Troubles of Life start to overwhelm us we have a
friend in Jesus when our problems are many and we need relief when we need peace Lord I pray that the Holy Spirit would remind us that we have a friend in Jesus we serve a living God who is more than able to carry our burdens and to give us rest Lord I know that you are an all powerful God there is nothing that is too difficult in my life for you to deal with you still move mountains and you still cause walls to to fall there is nothing too big for you and for that Lord
I'm Grateful father I'm grateful that you first loved me and I pray that you would give us the strength to rise up each day and fight against the struggles which seek to weigh us down lord I praise your name for you are the god of the impossible there is nothing too big for you to handle no problem too great no challenge too difficult for you to overcome God I know that you can do anything and I'm asking that in the middle of my weakness would you make your strength known father with each and everyone listening
today we bring before you our burdens and our troubles Lord help us not to fear but to trust you help us not to be discouraged but to have joy in you Holy Spirit help us not to take the goodness and kindness of the Lord for granted Lord I declare my faith in your ability to fulfill every one of your promises to me I know that you will fight for me and you will win the battles in my life life Lord you're mighty you're powerful you're righteous and you're true and God I bless your name right
now your word says the Lord shall preserve you from all evil he shall preserve your soul the Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forever more I bless your Holy Name Lord and I thank you for your promises I confess by faith that my Lord will keep me from all harm Jehovah Gyra will provide a watch over my life and will preserve me from all evil I declare that evil will not touch me or come near my house because my savior will preserve my going out and
my coming in you are my shepherd my guide my source of Hope may your name be glorified Lord Jesus from this day forth and even forever more I pray that the words I have spoken may be established in the name of Jesus thank you for listening to this prayer father thank you for hearing us in Jesus name we pray amen while Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples for there were many who followed him when the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw
him eating with the Sinners and tax collectors they asked his disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners on hearing this Jesus said to them it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick I have not come to call the righteous but [Music] Sinners the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is your faithfulness consider it nothing but joy my brothers and sisters whenever you fall into various trials be assured that the testing of your faith through experience
produces endurance leading to spiritual maturity and inner peace and let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith lacking in nothing Jesus replied 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 and the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself
