DO YOU LOVE ME?

Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deut 7:9

When Moses stood on Mount Nebo giving his final ‘word’ to Israel, he begins with, “…When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it…”. This simply means that our loyalty must not shift when God provides the best for us. A little earlier Moses brings a very clear underpinning on which he is expounding his own heart. He says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deut 6:5.

In this passage above here is a clarity that I have understood all my life as a follower of Jesus. Here there is no room for undivided affections or allegiance. It is true that we cannot serve two masters. I know for sure this unblemished loyalty must begin with my heart alone. It is from my heart my mouth speaks and the issues of my life flow from within. It is remarkable that the Old Covenant recognised that true love and faithfulness came from the heart, the seat of our humanity. For where your treasure is there your heart will be so, says Matt 6:21. Loving God with all my heart means making Him my greatest treasure. Valuing my relationship with Him, with Jesus, more than anything else in my life.

So, there is such a challenge in our day and age. We live in a society where love waxes old and allegiances fail so much. Commitments crumble and the ‘meaning’ of love is watered down and changes with situations.

And hey! Without my will, my desires, my passions, my affections, my perceptions, and my thoughts rightly aligned, the life of love is impossible.

Don’t forget to love! Love God first, then one another.