20th February Deuteronomy 6 Just Love God!
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (v.4)
On paper that simple phrase sounds so easy and so basic it’s almost too easy to accept. Love God with everything you have at your disposal. Commit your life to Him, trust Him to bless you with everything you need, ask Him to watch over you in all things knowing that He will and give Him your absolute attention, devotion and commitment. Trust Him with your energy and your health, your resources and your time. Simple huh?
So why does it sometimes feel so difficult to do? Why is it that it’s so difficult to focus on Him when life is full of problems and difficulties? Why do we find it so hard to see Him in amongst all the mess that so often find around us?
I could trot out some stock answers. “God isn’t with us in physical form so that makes Him hard to relate to. God is Spirit so it’s hard to see Him or hear Him above the noise of the earth. He doesn’t respond when I’ve prayed. I don’t know if He hears me or if He’s speaking to me.” And we could go on couldn’t we. But the command that we’re given is love Him no matter what. Yes, life is full of problems, troubles and difficulties but we have to remember that God understands that because He created all this and because He sent to Jesus to live it out too. And, despite all the things that Jesus had to endure He quoted this key verse as He taught people, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Matt 22:37, Mark 12:30. Luke 10:27).
No matter what’s going on around us we can trust that God is right there in the midst of it with us. He’s next to each of us holding out a hand and saying trust me, I love you more than you can know – just give me your love back and we’ll do this together. Moses gave this to the Israelites to hold onto so they wouldn’t lose sight of God – we must do the same.
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Question:
If you think about all the things that are going on in your life now can you see God in them? Can you see Him in the good things and in the not so good? No matter what’s happening can you love Him because He’s God?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, would You bless each of us today with a deeper revelation of Your heart and Your love for us. Would You help us to see You and to hear Your voice amidst the noise and distractions of the earth and would You bless us to pour out our love for You in all things. Amen.