Obedience to the Lord

 

Deuteronomy 6:4-5, ESV – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

The great commandment as elucidated by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:37 was based on the great shema of the Israelites to love and obey their one and only God: a love relationship which is exclusive and involves the whole being.

In the modern context, our love for God is not expressed necessarily in an identical way to the Israelites by following the letter of the laws spelled out in the Old Testament. He does, however, still expect our full and exclusive devotion in the here and now.

We show our primacy to loving God by having him as the source and goal of our devotion in our lives, hearts, and minds. It can manifest itself in many ways, be it obeying the God-given authority in our day-to-day lives, denying our own perceived wants and needs to serve Him and his kingdom, or even aligning the priorities of our lives to reflect His calling for us as His people.

Are you struggling to love and obey God? Tell us how we can pray for you here.