Verse for the Day, 18 May 2017.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  (5)  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  (6)  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  (7)  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  (8)  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  (9)  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

These few verses are some of the most significant, and probably the best known verses in the Jewish community. We need only spend a brief amount of time thinking over these verses to quickly understand why they are of such importance, not just for the Jewish people, but even more so for those who are true believers in Jesus Christ.

We are given a series of statements, responses and commands, each one following on from the other.

Firstly, we are given a key statement, “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” This statement is not open to debate, it is given as a fact which is beyond dispute. The undeniable truth is that the LORD, He who is “I AM”, the God who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, He, and He alone is God. Furthermore, He is not a god, nor is He one of many gods, He is God and there is no other.

The current age in which we live rejects such absolute statements as this, it seeks to reduce truth to that which is subjective, open to interpretation and redefinition according to each individual’s desire. But as believers in Jesus Christ, as those who love and revere God’s Word, we cannot ever afford to give any sanction to such thinking. God’s Word is not open to debate, it is not subjective, or open to redefinition based upon our own desires. Furthermore, we cannot choose whether or not God, does or does not exist, nor can we decide what He is, who He is and how He should operate. This is the simple plain absolute and undeniable truth, the LORD, the God of the Bible, the one who is “I AM”, He and He alone, is the one and only true God. It is not open to debate, it is fact.

Having been given this statement of absolute truth, we are called to respond to God by loving Him with all our heart, soul and might. Why should we love God to this extent, why should our love for God be greater than our love for any other person or thing in all creation? For two reasons, firstly, because He is God! There is none higher or greater than God, nor is there one more deserving of receiving such a degree of love for us, than God. God is our creator and sustainer, the provider of all we need, He is merciful, compassionate, loving, patience, gracious, holy, just, right and true. Without God we would not exist, apart from God would not exist, and if God were to stop being God, even for the briefest of moments, this entire Universe would collapse. Secondly, we are to love God, because He is God, and we are to love Him because He is “our God”.

Unfortunately, the weight of this statement is somewhat lost on us, we fail to appreciate what it means that this incredible, awesome, all-powerful God, creator and provider of all we are and need is our God. This great God has chosen to draw near to us, reveal Himself to us and enter into a personal relationship with us. For those who are believers in Jesus Christ, this is even more the case, for we truly are in a personal, eternal, right and joy-filled relationship with the one, true and living God. He is our God! Surely, if we take time to think upon these truths deeply, it can only lead to one response and that is to love God all the more, to love Him with our heart, soul and might.

Sadly, many Christians will be quick to state that they love God, they may even quote this verse to others to show how much they love God, ‘I love God will all my heart, soul and strength!’ But the true and genuine depth of our love for God is revealed in how we obey and live out our love for God. These verses have told us that there is only one true and living God, the God of the Bible, the LORD, the great “I AM”, apart from Him there is no other. Secondly, as a response to this truth we are to absolutely love God, He is to be the primary and most important object and recipient of our love, we are to love Him entirely, and always, we are to love Him will all that we are, heart, soul and might. Thirdly, that love reveals itself to be true and genuine, when we demonstrate that we believe that the LORD is God, that He is our God and that we love Him with all our heart, soul and might, through how we live our lives.

Verses 6-9 tell us what it looks like to love God. Not only is God’s Word upon our hearts, it is also upon our lips, as we shall constantly speak God’s Word to others, speak of the truth of who God is and of what He has done for us through Christ. We shall speak of God, His Word, the truth of who He is and of His Gospel, wherever we are and whoever we are with, at home, in the street, with our children, with others, when we sit down, stand up, walk or lie down, God’s Word is always to be upon our hearts and upon our lips. Furthermore, God’s Word is to be upon our hands and between our eyes. What does this mean? The meaning is simple, it is one this to say we love God and to speak His Word, but it is another thing to do His Word and to think His Word. To have it upon our hands means that our love for God, and the fact that His Word is upon our hearts, will control, direct and inform our every action and reaction. All that we do will be shaped and directed by our love for God, and will reflect the extent to which we both love God and His Word. To have it in between our eyes means that our love for God, and the fact that His Word is upon our hearts, will control, direct and inform our every thought, attitude and emotion. It means that we will love God outwardly through our actions, and inwardly in the hidden secrecy of our minds. Our minds are to be constantly filled with a love for God and are to be saturated with God’s Word. In other words, we seek to love God, to submit to the truth of who He is and His Word, even in the way we think, in our attitudes and our emotions.

Our love for God is to be complete and singular. We are to love God first, most, always and absolutely, our love for God should be the greatest and strongest love we have. This love shows itself to be true and genuine in how we live out our lives, we are to love God with our lips, our hands and our heads. This is not a restrictive command of God, rather it is one through which we will come to know the greatest love from God and by which we will reach the very heights of human existence and fulness of life as we love God in return.

Do you claim to love God? I challenge you to take the test of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 to discern just how much you actually love Him!

Our One, True and Living God, we declare that You and You alone are God, apart from You there are no others. We are humbled to know that You, the One and Only God, should choose to become our God, to make Yourself known to us in a real, living and personal way. We thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, who has made this truly and eternally possible, who has put the love of God in our hearts, and has caused Your Word to be upon our hearts. Forgive us for having such a fickle and often shallow love for You, despite claiming our love for You is great. May we grow to love You more and more, until we can say that Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is true of us. We pray that You would help us by Your Spirit to this end. For the glory of Your Name. Amen.