Christianity Oasis Forum

[kimberly]

'Utmost'----what a funny little word, isn't it? When you say it, it just kind of sticks on the end of your tongue. Utmost.....sounds like 'the most ut'. When I thought of this word today, I thought.....what is 'utmost'?

ut⋅most 

adjective 1. of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, or the like; greatest: of the utmost importance.
2. being at the farthest point or extremity; farthest: the utmost reef of the island. Or--



utmost noun 3. Also, uttermost. the greatest degree or amount: the utmost that can be said; The hotel provides the utmost in comfort.
4. the most or best of one's abilities, powers, etc.: He did his utmost to finish on time.
5. the extreme limit or extent: His patience was taxed to the utmost.

Ah, there it was....the extreme limit or extent. Have your emotions ever been at their extreme limit? So stretched thin that you felt ready to fall into pieces?

Many of us have felt this way....circumstances in our lives can bring us to this point. Many times in the past, my emotions have reached their utmost in anger, sorrow or despair.

But as I looked at that particular description of 'utmost', I saw something else.....

It didn't have to be the 'utmost'-worst.....it could be the utmost best. I read the other definitions again. All of them stood for something good, something to be desired, or strived for.

I thought about what my utmost best would be emotion-wise. What would be the greatest or highest degree, most or best of my abilities? What would the utmost be?

Love would bethe obvious answer, wouldn't it? Love for God, my Father , Savior, and Guide. Love for my fellow man, my neighbor, my brothers ad sisters in Christ....right?

Absolutely. And for this....Lord, what shall I do? Pray more? Give more? Do more? Promise more? I asked God for a scripture to tell me the best of the best...the utmost I could do. Imagine my surprse when this was the scripture I thought of......

2 Timothy 2:15
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

This was the utmost I could do.....emotionally? At first I was a little skeptic....but God knows. The more I read it and meditated on it , the clearer it was. First of all, the word 'eager' caught my eye.

Be eager to study the Word, eager to do my utmost, eager to come before God, eager to be tested, eager to be a workman, eager to analyze, rightly divide, and teach the Word.

'Eager' to be involved in the things of God, directing my attention to those things. Placing worth and value in those things, giving them my utmost.

How we handle God's Holy Word is meaningful and says a lot about the way we think of our relationship with Jesus. Jesus desired that we abide and make our home in Him. That's pretty personal. That takes daily interaction.

The reason for this is, Jesus wants us well equipped, and supplied. Unashamed, correct and accurate----that's what we are to be concerning God's Holy Word. Rightly handling and teaching the Word of God to others. Giving our utmost.

And if we are fully equipped, then our emotions are in the utmost care....that of the Holy Spirit. Being enabled by the Word of God, through the Power of the Spirit, to make our life decisions in Truth, not by emotion.

That's our utmost....2 Timothy 2:15
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

[Mackenaw]

Hello Kimberly

He always speaks to me through you. Love it, Love you and I love Him.

Sing it Smokey...

Maybe you'd like to give Me kisses sweet
Only for one night with no repeat
Maybe you'd go away and never call
And a taste of honey is worse than none at all


Chorus
In that case I don't want no part
Well that that would only break My heart
Well if you feel like loving Me
If you got the notion
I second that emotion
Well if you feel like loving Me
If you got the notion
I second that emotion

Maybe you'll think that love will tie you down
And you ain't got the time to hang around
Maybe you think that love will make you a fool
And so it makes you wise to break the rules


[chorus]

In that case I don't want no part
Well that that would only break My heart
Well if you feel like loving Me
If you got the notion
I second that emotion
So if you feel like giving Me
A lifetime of devotion
I second that emotion

God bless you, Kimberly.
Agape,
Mack

[kimberly]

Amen Mack, thanks for the song , so appropriate.

Agape.

[Lionhearted]

ahhhh Kim!!!!! thank you so much for insights; it sparked a further search of my own; i love to study God's Word this way, He teaches me so much; just sit and meditate and ..... wait .... on Him. this is what i got from 2 TIm. 2:15.

The word that jumped out at me was study:

1. a state of contemplation
2. a) application of the mental faculties to the acquisition of knowledge; b) such application in a particular field or to a specific subject; c) careful or extended consideration
3. purpose , intent
4. a person who learns or memorizes something

then, i checked this word utmost and two words came out my thesaurus: 1. MAXIMUM and 2. EXTREME, the one that gave me the most insight was MAXIMUM.

maximum - greatest in quantity or highest in degree attainable or attained; related words - greatest, highest, largest

now, contrast maximum with such words as least, lowest, slightest, smallest and minimum.

.....and pull back in the words of our Lord in 2 Tim. 2:15:

...correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

when the Lord tells us to "STUDY" His Word --> Word of Truth ... the question that is begged is:

am i studying in my utmost, the way He wants me to?

-do i contemplate on His Word (#1, listed above)
-do i apply all of my mind to studying His Word (#2, listed above)
-do i allow Him to apply to my life what i've learned from His Word (#2, listed above)
-do i contemplate AND meditate on it again (#2, listed above)
-do i really want HIS purpose and intent, or do i want to twist it for ease for myself (#3, listed above)
-do i study SO hard and intensly that i can say, yes, i've learned it (#4, listed above)


do i, do all of the above to the MAXIMUM or to the MINIMUM ....

God knows what each one of us is capable of ... He made us.

-He knows when we choose to watch tv instead of spending time in His Word
-He knows when we choose to put our kids in so many extra cirric. activities that we've got not time left to whet their appetites for His Word.
-He knows when we choose to sit for hours and surf on the computer instead of spending that time with Him and in His Word.
-He knows when we spend hours focusing on our problems instead of His purposes.
-He knows when we stay up so late at night, it makes it impossible for us to greet Him first thing in the morning for ANY time.
-He knows the minutes and hours that we waste friviously each day, each week, each year totalling a life time of neglecting Him.
-He knows when we choose to focus our lives on the things of this time and place (temporal) rather than focusing on Him and His place (eternity)
.... He knows ....

.... MAXIMUM ... or ... MINIMUM


.... He knows.












.... am i the only one who feels conviction?










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[kimberly]

Wowee Lion....He spoke volumes to you.....He will open things up when we go searching.

He knows, and yet, He doesn't hold it against us. Because, as we contemplate our utmost for Him, He is constantly doing His utmost for us. What a merciful loving Father we serve.

Looking at utmost, i was evercome with a sense of how God must yearn for us to spend time with Him.

Thanks for all the insight sis.
Hugs, Kim