"Whom
have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm
73:25-26
"At
that day you will know that
I am in My Father, and you in Me,
and I in you.
He who has My commandments and
keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and
manifest Myself to him.... If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;
and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with
him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words...."
John
14:20-23
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My
disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not
sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish
it...."
Luke
14:27-28
“I love
You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my
rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies."
Psalm 18:1-3
"My
soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house."
Psalm 84:2-4
"...seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added to you. "
Matthew 6:33
"One
thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His
temple."
Psalm 27:4
"...you
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the
first commandment."
Mark 12:30
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your
paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from
evil."
Proverbs
3:5-7
"O
God, You are my God; early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You....
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me."
Psalm 63:1-3, 7-8
"...because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
But he who endures to the end shall be saved."
Matthew 24:12
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.
And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he
who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life
for My sake will find it."
Matthew
10:37-39
"For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to
please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a
bondservant of Christ."
Galatians 1:10
"Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and
always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with
their children forever!"
Deuteronomy
5:29
“But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none
of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their
own counsels. 'Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!
I would soon subdue their enemies....'"
Psalm
81:11-14
"Their
heart is divided; now they are held guilty."
Hosea 10:2
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more
in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the
things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without
offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the
fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory
and praise of God."
Philippians
1:9-11
"...at
the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him,
yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory, receiving the end of your faith—-the salvation of your
souls."
1 Peter 1:7-9
"But what things were
gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I
also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be
found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the
law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...."
Philippians 3:7-10
“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt
before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do
that I may inherit eternal life?'
“So Jesus said to
him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is,
God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit
adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear
false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and
your mother.’
“And he answered and said
to Him, ‘Teacher, all these things I have kept from my
youth.’
“Then Jesus, looking at
him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your
way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and
follow Me.’
“But he was sad at this word,
and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
“Then Jesus looked around and
said to His disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have
riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ ... And they were
greatly astonished, saying among themselves, ‘Who then can be
saved?’
“But Jesus looked at them and said,
‘With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God
all things are possible.’ ”
Mark 10:17-27
"But you be watchful
in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering,
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought
the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on
that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His
appearing."
2 Timothy 4:5-8
Note: This last Scripture was the Lord's personal call to a
seeker who longed to know God, but who loved his possessions
more than anything. In the lives of each of us who would follow
Jesus, there could be something that we seek and want more than
Him. If so, He graciously puts His finger on that thing, and
gives us a choice. Will you follow Me, or will you stay behind
with that possession?
More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!