Add this to your to-do list …

It’s not halfway through the first month of the first year, and many are already assessing their progress — or lack of it — with their New Year resolutions.

New goals for the New Year are thought to be a means to make a “new you.” All sorts of goals are set and pursued, but few are truly life changing objectives.

If you really want to impact your life in such a way as to guarantee a better, improved you, let me give you another goal to put at the top of your list for things to accomplish in 2011. Here it is: “LOVE GOD.”

That’s silly, you might think, of course I love God.

Really?

I’m not talking about the warm, fuzzy emotions kind of love. Neither am I talking about the appreciation for blessings. Nor am I talking about a generalized “… because He first loved us …” kind of love.

I’m talking the actualization, the real living out of the most important command ever given to us human beings. Luke mentioned it here in Luke 10:25-28:

“25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: ‘Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26 Jesus replied, ‘What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?’ 27 The man answered, “’You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 28 ‘Right!’ Jesus told him. ‘Do this and you will live!'”

Does that describe your love for God? A love that squeezes out every ounce of your heart, soul, strength and mind? A total love for God? That’s the kind of love God commands of us!

If, while reading that verse, excuses were running through your mind as to how no one could love God that way, then you can rest assured you don’t. But God doesn’t command us to do something we’re incapable of doing, especially with His help. It all comes down to, do you love God enough to love Him completely, totally, unreservedly, just as He commands? Or are you making excuses and trying to justify something far less than a real love for God.

Do you know why so many fall short of this passage? Simply, they do not love God anything close to this degree, if they really do at all. This kind of love will demand a radical surrender of your entire life to God. Most simply don’t love God enough to do this … or else they would!

Do you really want to change and grow in 2011? Then work on loving God this year, and you will be amazed how your year ends.

Scotty