Bible study @ CCF today (technically yesterday...) .... it was pretty good =) haven't had discussions like that in a very long time, got the brain juices going and the 'spiritual' blood pumping ;) haha.

We were studying Deut. 6:1-13, which in a nutshell says that we should love God with our all and obey His commands. We only got halfway through the passage though, cause the discussions got pretty deep, hehee. A question came up about whether Christians really live longer than non-Christians (verse 2: "... so that you may enjoy long life." [by keeping God's commands]. I don't think we actually reached a conclusion on that once, cause the discussion spawned off elsewere.) I don't think it's a set fact that those who obey God live longer, but I think it's quite possible that there is some truth to it. I don't think that God grants us 'extra life' for obeying Him, but I think it's more that the peace of mind we gain leads to less stress/worries and more joy, which (in my mind) would lead to longer lifespan than someone who is always stressed out.

Also in this passage is the famous greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." (verse 5) To love God with all your heart is to have a passion for God; to love God with your soul is to surrender your self and your life for His sake; and to love God with all your strength is to use the full extent of your abilities to show your love, rather than doing things half-heartedly. It took a bit of thought for us to separate the different ways of loving... I think the Bible does this to emphasize how we need to love God with all that we have. This leads to the question of how does one actually go about loving God?? I think the #1 way to express our love is through communication with God..... sadly, something I've been neglecting lately. We can also show our love by giving thanks for all the little things in life, both good and bad. It may seem strange to thank God for the bad stuff, but i think if you trust Him, you'll find that He'll use the bad to bring about something good.


Give me one pure and holy passion
And give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You.

To know and follow hard after You
To grow as Your disciple in the truth.
This world is empty, pale and poor
Compared to knowing you my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after You,
Lead me on and I will run after You.