Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)

Hello again, the Holy Spirit has inspired me to share a Spiritual GEM about Trusting, Obeying and Loyally Loving God from here to Eternity.

Jesus says in Today’s scripture, Matthew 7:21 (NLT)…“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Consider…
A tollway is a public or private highway, road, or bridge that requires drivers to pay a fee (a toll) for passage. Often designed for faster, more direct travel, these roads typically have limited access points, such as specific on-ramps and off-ramps.

That AI explanation of a tollway showed me Jesus is the tollway to God the Father – John 14:6 (NLT)…Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Yet, while Salvation is a free gift of God, Romans 6:23 there’s a TOLL we must pay while traveling through and with Him here on earth. This TOLL is our Trust, Obedience, Love and Loyalty to God.

The Holy Spirit led me to Deuteronomy 26:16-17 (NLT) for TOLL confirmation…
[16] “Today the LORD your God has commanded you to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be careful to obey them wholeheartedly. [17] You have declared today that the LORD is your God. And you have promised to walk in his ways, and to obey his decrees, commands, and regulations, and to do everything he tells you.

That means we must…

Wholeheartedly TRUST Him
Wholeheartedly OBEY Him
Wholeheartedly LOVE Him
Wholeheartedly be LOYAL to Him

That tunes my ears to Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NKJV)…“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! [5] You shall love the LORD your God WITH ALL your heart, WITH ALL your soul, and WITH ALL your strength.

And that makes me hear Forever Jones singing…

There’s a voice that cries out in the silence
Searching for a heart that will love Him
Longing for a child that will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all

And there’s a God that walks over the earth
He’s searching for a heart that is desperate
And longing for a child
That will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all

And He says love me, love me with your whole heart
He wants it all today
Serve Me, serve Me with your life now
He wants it all today
Bow down, let go of your idols
He wants it all today
He wants it all today
He wants it all today
He wants it all

Sometimes we get so focused on the benefits of God saving us, that we miss His stated reasons.

2 Corinthians 5:15 (NLT) explains…He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Christ died for us to live for Him!

And Paul reiterates in 2 Timothy 1:9a (NLT)…For God saved us and called us to live a holy life…

Speaking of living holy lives, Peter also emphasizes in 1 Peter 1:14-15 (NLT)…So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. [15] But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.

AI Overview says, Holy means something set apart, consecrated, or dedicated to God or a religious purpose.

God wants us to be wholeheartedly dedicated to Him!

So as we think about and celebrate all that God has done, is doing and will do for us, let’s be mindful that He expects our TOLL in return!

Today’s song is…
Fully Committed

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)