Dear First Pres,

 On Sunday morning I talked about Joshua's final encouragement for the people of God to "be careful to love the Lord."  As we read through the Old Testament, we learn that loving God means walking in His ways, keeping His commandments, listening to His voice, and serving Him alone. It means remaining true to Him in worship.  It means maintaining loyal obedience, covenant relationship, and wholehearted devotion. But all of that is always in response to the incredible love He has already shown to us. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John4:10). Praise God!

     The question that continues to stir in me this week is this: are you being careful to love the Lord? Of course, that question raises others. What are you doing to nurture your love for God? Are you setting aside time to pray or read the Scriptures or sing songs of praise? Are you stewarding your resources for the Kingdom of God? Is your love for God evident in your actions, attitudes, and words? I encourage you to take some time today to prayerfully consider these questions.

     Underneath the biblical command to love the Lord is God's incredible call to be in relationship with Him. One of our church's Core Values is transformational relationship. At the heart of this Core Value is our deep desire for everyone to experience the transformational relationship of knowing God through faith in Christ. My prayer for you, Beloved, is that you will know God's love for you in such a way that leads to an ever deepening covenant love relationship with Him.

     May you be careful to love the Lord your God today.

Blessings,

P.S. Last night was the end of year celebration for the AWANA ministry. I am so grateful for the volunteer leaders who gave of themselves week after week to help our kids know and love Jesus. If you know someone who volunteered with AWANA, please give them your thanks.