"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)
Keep it vertical. To trail runners, that phrase is the equivalent of saying "good luck". It's a reminder that the first priority is to stay upright - meaning feet on the ground and head in the air taking special care to not get tripped up and have your body parts flung in the opposite direction. Very good advice that's sometimes easier said than done depending on the terrain. Keeping it vertical is even more important when it comes to our relationships with Christ and others.
It's no coincidence that the bible tells us to first love God and then to love our neighbors. Without first receiving that love from the Savior, we would have none to give. The greatest symbol of God's love for us is, undoubtedly, the cross where Jesus died to forgive us of our sins. Picture the cross with it's two pieces - one piece vertically channeling God's love to us and back up to Him with the other (horizontal) piece channeling that love out to others.1 John 4:19 tells us that, "We love because he first loved us" (NIV). Simply said, God's love comes down to us so we can send that love out to others - His love channeled through us. We need a true relationship with Him before we can have a meaningful relationship with anyone else.
It's no coincidence that the bible tells us to first love God and then to love our neighbors. Without first receiving that love from the Savior, we would have none to give. The greatest symbol of God's love for us is, undoubtedly, the cross where Jesus died to forgive us of our sins. Picture the cross with it's two pieces - one piece vertically channeling God's love to us and back up to Him with the other (horizontal) piece channeling that love out to others.1 John 4:19 tells us that, "We love because he first loved us" (NIV). Simply said, God's love comes down to us so we can send that love out to others - His love channeled through us. We need a true relationship with Him before we can have a meaningful relationship with anyone else.
If you're finding it difficult to love others or maybe even yourself today, maybe it's time to adjust. Maybe it's time to "keep it vertical" with "all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength" focused on loving God first. Then you can spread that love to others (and yourself) the way Christ intended.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the cross as the greatest example of love. You loved us enough to die for us while we were still sinners. For that, we can never repay You. But we can love others and share the story of that love with them.Thank You for loving us and for choosing us to be your witnesses through the love we show through You. In your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Vertical - 1 Girl Nation
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