Skip to main content

Devotional 2.20.26


February 20, 2026 – Loving God First 

Psalm 63:1, 3-4 – O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you … Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 

Scripture Reading – Matthew 22:37-38 & Matthew 9:9-13

In Psalm 63, David expresses a deep, personal longing: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you” (v.1). His desire is not for blessings, but for God Himself. This is the heart behind Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37–38, “to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind.” Loving God is not mere duty; it is relational devotion. Matthew 9:9–13 shows this love taking shape as Jesus calls Matthew, not after he cleans up his life, but right in the midst of it. God desires mercy, not performance. Love begins with being known and welcomed by Him. Our mission to Love-Care-Communicate starts here: we love because we have first been loved personally by God. Worship is not ritual alone: it is response. When God becomes our deepest satisfaction, love for Him naturally overflows into every part of life.

 

The songs we sing help shape this personal love for God. Just As I Am reminds us we come without pretense, loved before we change. Living Hope celebrates that our relationship with God is made possible through Christ’s victory, not our effort. Lord I Need You gives voice to daily dependence, that is, love expressed through continual trust. And My Jesus I Love Thee captures the simple yet profound devotion of the believer’s heart. Together, these songs teach that loving God is not abstract theology but lived relationship, coming honestly, trusting fully, needing constantly, and loving personally. They remind us that worship is not about impressing God but about abiding in Him. Love grows as we recognize our need and respond to His grace.

Further reading: Deuteronomy 6:4–6; John 15:4–9; 1 John 4:9–10

Reflection Questions:

1.     What does it look like in your daily life to seek God Himself, not just His help?

2.     How does remembering that you come “just as you are” reshape your love for God?

Prayer: Lord, You are my God, and I seek You. Teach my heart to love You not out of obligation, but out of gratitude for Your mercy. Help me come honestly, trust fully, and depend on You daily. Shape my love so it flows from knowing I am welcomed by You, not because I am worthy, but because You are gracious. Let my life reflect a growing devotion that begins with You and overflows into love for others. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Devotional 5.16.25

Yours, O Lord, Is the Kingdom   1 Chronicles 29:10-11 Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.   Scripture Reading: Psalm 70   Psalm 70 is a cry for urgent help: “Make haste, O God, to deliver me!” In contrast, 1 Chronicles 29 declares God’s eternal rule, power, and glory. Together, they reveal two essential truths of faith: God is both near to the needy and exalted above all. We pray for deliverance while praising His unshakable sovereignty. David, in his final prayer, praised the Lord not for personal blessing, but for God’s eternal kingship and majesty. When we feel weak and desperate like the psalmist, we look up and remember the greatness of our God and His amazing love demonstrated in sending Jesus Christ (John 3:16; R...
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional 7.11.25

July 11, 2025 – Tell The Story Matthew 28:18-20:  And Jesus came and said to them,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”   Scripture Reading – Psalm 78   What’s your story? What is God’s redemptive story? Do those intersect for you? This week is a good time to reflect on those questions. The writer of Psalm 78 is recounting the lessons from Israel’s past. Asaph is doing this to remind them of who God is, the mighty and faithful acts he’s done, and that Israel (the tribe of Judah, v. 68) are God’s chosen people. The psalmist’s desire is that they not only repent of their sin and unbelief (v. 32), but that their transformation and turning back to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional 4.25.25

Grace Received, Grace Shared Ephesians 2:8–10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   Scripture Reading: Psalm 66   Ephesians 2:8–10 reminds us that our salvation is purely a gift of grace—not earned, but given, so that no one may boast. We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to live lives of purpose, filled with good works prepared by Him. Psalm 67 echoes this theme, celebrating God’s mercy and blessing so that His ways may be known throughout the earth. As we come to the Lord’s Table on Sunday, we remember we are saved by grace and sent by grace. Communion is not just a remembrance of Christ’s death—it’s also a recommissioning to live out the grace we've received, that all nations might rejoice in God’s saving power through our ...
Post a Comment
Read more