2/16/26

Joshua 23:11 NASB95 “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God.

A long time ago, when I was a young man, I made a promise to myself. I promised myself, that I would do my best to let people know while I am alive on this earth, how I feel about them. I do not want anyone to wonder about my love once I am gone.

I have known people whose family member died after an argument and they grieved not only the loss but also wondering if the person died thinking they were not loved.

I always remind them that we need to look at their whole life and not just a moment. If the life was mostly spent in love then a few arguments are not going to cause the person to doubt the love that filled the majority of the time.

However, as a young man seeing this, I made a vow to myself to always let people know my love. That way if something happens to me they will not doubt it. No matter how things might have been in the last few moments.

I have made a diligent effort to do so to ALL my family and friends but especially to my wife and children. I don't know if I could have explained any more or made much more of an effort to instill in them my love which always includes truth. However, just in case I am wrong, I love you!

I do know that I have failed at this often with the greatest love of my life, my Lord and Savior.

Our text says to take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God!

Diligent means excessive.

Heed means to guard or protect.

So it says to be excessively protective to yourself to show, give, and proclaim the love you have to the Lord your God.

I have failed at this, in that, even though I do love my Lord, I have not protected that love by making sure I don't do things that hurt it, such as sin.

I love to pick and joke with people but because of this, I have many times opened up my love of God to be questioned. I was not excessively protective of this love.

Maybe you are the same? We must make every effort to show the Lord and the world our love for God while always protecting it from harm or an appearance of diminishing.

He would never allow His love for us to go unprotected and there is no greater love than His. So we need to take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God.

Make our love known to everyone but especially to the Lord.

Then protect it from any attack by Satan.

Let's be excessive in Love. Let's be protective of our love. Let's make sure it is always seen and never questioned.

Love is not acceptance and tolerance. Love is truth and sacrifice.

Love Bro. Scott