Love!

Love!

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 KJV

[4] Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: [5] and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Moses had reason to remind the children of Israel about the God who had brought them out of the land of slavery and was bringing them into the land of promise. Recall that by this time, Israel had fallen into rebellion and many of them had died in the wilderness. A number had also committed atrocities and had been severely punished by God. Reflect on this: these were the people God had chosen for Himself and set them apart as His treasured possession, yet, when they sinned, they were not spared. It is easy to mistake God's love for compromise, or to take advantage of his slowness to punish, but I am again reminded that God is God. His standards have been in place long before man was made, and long after this earthly phase ceases to exist, God will still remain God, and the things He has expressly laid out as His standards will continue to operate. That is the God Moses sought to remind Israel of. 

We will also do well to remind ourselves of who this God is. Moses knew Him as the one and only Lord. The world may know or claim to know many variants, but there is only one true God. The world may reject Him, or claim ignorance of His person, but my opinion does not in any way change or reduce the efficacy of God and His Word. This is where the choice has to be made: is God the one and only, or are there other viable alternatives to God in your life? Note this: this God does not make room for competition in a man's heart. He is too holy to be placed in unholy or unclean vessels, and He will not compete with sin in a man's heart. The very first commandment on record in Exodus 20 is: "Thou shalt have no other God before me". Clear as day. The One who holds my heart controls my life's pursuits and priorities. No wonder I am charged to guard my heart with all diligence. 

When the heart is right, its pursuits are also right. When God sits on the throne and directs affairs, He will produce after His kind in my life. His presence in my life bears fruit that cannot be ignored. When a man has been with Jesus, you cannot ignore the reality. Peter and John were noted to have been with Jesus. The love of God in my heart will take over the entire life. That is why you see ALL repeated in every facet of life for the man who loves the Lord. There is room for no one and nothing else. I also note that the heart and the soul are mentioned first, before might. It is inner conviction that drives outward profession. It is inner strength that manifests in outward expression of love for God and the things He holds dear. If I truly love Him, I would not want to hurt Him. If I truly love Him, His heart's desires will also be my focus. God does not do half-hearted devotion, hypocrisy or eye-service. Give Him your all, so you can also take hold of His all. God's time of favour is here.