What does it mean to love God with all your strength? A pastor defines it: ‘It means expending tremendous amounts of energy for kingdom causes. It means blood, sweat, and tears. It means servanthood and sacrifice. It means good old-fashioned hard work. Energy may be the least appreciated dimension of love because it’s the least sentimental. And how we invest our energy reveals our true priorities.’ It reveals how much we love someone; in this case, God. The pastor continues: ‘Christianity was never intended to be a noun. And when we turn it into a noun, it becomes a turnoff. Christianity was always intended to be a verb. We’ve got to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We’ve got to seize opportunities to serve…At the end of the day, God isn’t going to say, “Well said, good and faithful servant”…[but] “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Nothing is more fulfilling than burning calories for a kingdom cause. Anything less than leveraging all our strength for God’s purposes is boring at best and hypocritical at worst. So many Christians are so bored…so frustrated by the gap between their theology and reality. The way to close the gap, and the way to experience that holy rush of adrenaline again, is to break a sweat serving others. It can be as simple as babysitting for a single mum who needs a night out, serving in a ministry in your local church, or volunteering at a local nursing home. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, every calorie burned for a kingdom cause earns compound interest for eternity. And it’ll fill the emptiness in your soul with pure joy.’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.