My Utmost for HIS Highest.

So this week I decided that I wanted to focus on the Lord more and less on just sitting worthlessly on my computer. So on Monday I changed my homepage from facebook to My Utmost for His Highest daily reading. And instead of just clicking the link for gmail or facebook right when the page loaded I stopped to read the daily passage and have been very encouraged. The link is here:http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php

I had been feeling lately that I have lost my love for the Lord. I know it is because of a lack of effort on my part. So in an attempt to reestablish contact with my dear Savior that I have put on the back burner, I did this simple act. This is the reading for today, I was very blessed to read it and so convicted. I hope you enjoy it too!

If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love.

Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things— things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him. Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart of the Lord Jesus? "She has done a good work for Me."

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. ". . . but perfect love casts out fear . . ." once we are surrendered to God ( 1 John 4:18 ). We should quit asking ourselves, "Am I of any use?" and accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.