First and Foremost

It seems to me that perhaps one of the reasons why "love the Lord with all your heart" comes first on the list is because our heart is the place where we first recognize our need.  We all come to God broken before anything else, and it is the first thing He heals in us.  Before we ever cement our belief system, we realize we have a problem we cannot fix.  It is our brokenness that draws us to God from the start, and in our brokenness we realize the fact that before we ever realized how broken we were, He loved us first and has provided everything we need to be put back together again.  All we have to do is open our heart to Him and receive what He freely offers.  It is an amazing thought, that no matter what the mess I've made, God forgives me and gives me a new start.

We always sing this song at Thanksgiving time, but the message is powerful every day of the year.  This is the first and most important reason why I want to love Him wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;

Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace

And gave me life again;

Who crushed my curse of sinfulness

And clothed me in His light

And wrote His law of righteousness

With pow'r upon my heart.

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who walks beside;

Who floods my weaknesses with strength

And causes fears to fly;

Whose ev'ry promise is enough

For ev'ry step I take,

Sustaining me with arms of love

And crowning me with grace.

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To him who reigns above,

Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,

Whose ev'ry thought is love.

For ev'ry day I have on earth

Is given by the King;

So I will give my life, my all,

To love and follow him.

"My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness"

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music