What does God Expect from Me?
The following is an excerpt from a book I have been working on titled
"This Day His Day" subtitled: Learning to live a life for Jesus, today!
And
he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind.( Matthew 22:37). ESV
“Foundational in Deuteronomy 6:5 and repeated twice daily by faithful Jews, this passage from Matthew quoted by Jesus, encapsulates the idea of total devotion to God and includes the duty to obey the rest of God's commandments.” ESV Study Bible notes
“Foundational in Deuteronomy 6:5 and repeated twice daily by faithful Jews, this passage from Matthew quoted by Jesus, encapsulates the idea of total devotion to God and includes the duty to obey the rest of God's commandments.” ESV Study Bible notes
I
have learned that people do what they enjoy doing. That is, people make time
for what interests them. Today in our fast paced lives, time is the one commodity
that most people are least likely to give away.
It’s been said “Don’t waste time, for time is the stuff of life”.
For believers who want to grow in Christ
likeness, that is becoming like him (And
if a believer has no such desire, something is lacking in the very core of
their faith) we have the words of our Lord from Matthews Gospel to
challenge, and in essence compel us to be people who love, people who love the
Lord with a passion that propels us to a deeper awareness of who Jesus is, and
who we can be in Him!
Our Lords
expectations of His people:
Shall v. 1) an imperative command as in "you shall not kill." 2) In some statutes, "shall" is a direction but does not mean mandatory, depending on the context.
Growing up in my house shall was mandatory! Provided you relished living! We must not provide an out for this command from the Lord Jesus Christ, by suggesting that His words are not mandatory, that we can pick and choose our obedience the way some select food from a cafeteria line…I will have a little bit if commitment, not too much, a small scoop of discipline if you will…a full portion of love thank you very much, a smidgen of patience, I am watching my weight after all!
No, shall means shall….its an imperative!
The
love of Jesus exampled on the cross is the compelling reason for our own
devotion to Him!
Such devotion reminds me of the story of A certain
medieval monk (The middle ages were from 5th century Ad until around
the 16th century, approx: 1,000 years) announced he would be
preaching the following Sunday evening on
"The Love of God."
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart.
Such devotion reminds me of the story of A certain
medieval monk (The middle ages were from 5th century Ad until around
the 16th century, approx: 1,000 years) announced he would be
preaching the following Sunday evening on "The Love of God."
As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in
through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of
the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of
thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the
hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else
to say. Source Unknown
The
Lord Jesus Christ, the king of Kings. Lord of Lords, who purchased us with the
cost of His very life…says “You
shall love the Lord your God! There is nothing else for us to say, other than
yes Lord! Our love effects it transforms, It engages… our
1. Heart
2. Our Souls
3. Our Minds…and
4. Fellow human beings!
The Greek word for heart in this
passage is kardias. This word is defined as "the seat and center of human
life" including ones "desires, feelings, affections, passions,
impulses." (From The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament © 1992
by AMG International, Inc. Revised Edition, 1993)
Do you love Him, like that? Others like that?
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