Thursday's Devotion

Thursday, May 7, 1998

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5 NRSV)

Our society bombards us almost daily with the message that we should care only about ourselves. "You owe it to yourself," we hear in advertisements for vacation trips. "You deserve the best," we hear from people selling expensive products. The mark of a Christian is the love we show for one another. A song I sang at many church camps says it best, "They'll know we are Christians by our love."

In our scripture reading today, the Pharisees had a question for Jesus. "Teacher," they asked, "which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." "This is the greatest and first commandment," Jesus said.

What do we mean when we say, "I love God?" Loving God is not having a mushy, good feeling kind of love--like loving pizza or loving a good movie. Loving God has to do with commitment. It has to do with God being first in every aspect of our lives. Loving God means, we daily build a relationship with God through talking to God, reading our Bibles, and worship.

I remember reading about Lee Trevino who was involved in a humorous incident in a PGA tournament. Lightning struck a tree very near to where he was standing. Someone asked Trevino what he thought when lightning struck that tree. He replied, "I learned that when God wants to play through you had better let him."

Having respect for God is one way to love God. The most important way we can love God is by making God the most important part of our lives.

Prayer: Dear God, you know that I love you, but sometimes I don't show it. May my spiritual growth show a better commitment to you. Amen.

Written by: Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA

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