Loving Structure 

Based on Deuteronomy 10-12, Mark 12:1-27

There are many things we have to get done & accomplish each day, but honestly, we are the greatest projects...the most work needs to be done on us by God, helping us to respond & react properly to each situation that occurs. Honestly, it's not our situations which need the most attention, it's us! We need ourselves to be loving structures consistently built by God! But first, the demolition needs to take place:

"And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 12:3‭-‬4.

We need to remove what's NOT helping. We need to take an axe to our hindrances. Sometimes, that comes in the form of our over-reactive emotions (that's me!), and God needs to help us balance that out through prayer & His Word. Sometimes, it comes in the form of loving something, a lifestyle, or someone, more than God in an obsessive manner...if we don't cut down the idols, they'll deconstruct us in the end, and all our efforts will be in vain, counter-productive to God's plan. Ok, now time for the loving, strong structure to be built:

"But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes."
Deuteronomy 12:5‭-‬8.

We can rejoice in Jesus! His blessings! His commandments! His ways! They are not the set-back, they are the solution! They are the loving structure we need in our lives. If everyone does what is right in their own eyes, no one would be right...there is only One righteous & good, that's Jesus, our God!

"Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours." Mark 12:6‭-‬7.

A man had a vineyard, and he sent his servants into the field to collect the fruit, but the workers beat & killed them. Finally, he sent his son, who he thought they would respect, but they killed him for the inheritance...God WANTS to give & provide for us! We don't need to be in "competition mode." When we choose to fully surrender & follow Him, nothing is held back! We don't have to get anxious about God not following through. He watches for us. He cares for us. We need to love Him by doing the work He has called us to do, without being worried about the reward...first, the reward in this life is seeing God work on us, His projects. We see many things about us being changed for the better. Then, the next part of the reward is eternity with Him!

The loving structure of God's handiwork in our lives starts with Acts 2:38:

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38.

Baptism of water & Spirit is just the beginning! God's got a lot to build, because He's got a lot of love!