Deuteronomy 6:5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (NLT)
The word “all” can also signify “completely”, “fully” or “entirely”. Loving God is not something we do partially, but it is fully letting go of our fleshly desires to give our entire hearts and souls to the One true God.
There are two realities that we can learn from Moses’ message in Deuteronomy 6:5:
- Loving God is a choice: 1 John 4:19 says We love because he first loved us. God first loved us, and He sent His only son to die on the cross for us even when we were still sinners. Moses reminds us that we must love the Lord our God, which means loving God is a personal choice. We have the option to choose God over our lives and desires; we can only do that when we fully surrender our hearts and souls to Jesus Christ.
- Love is persistent: Love God with all your strength! Loving requires consistency and determination. It is not every day that we feel like praying or reading God’s words, but we persevere because God’s love is our real strength. Now God is not after our righteous acts (Isaiah 64:6), but He is after the posture of our hearts. The Holy Spirit is ready to help a willing heart that keeps seeking God’s face.
Every morning when you wake up, remember that you have the choice to surrender to God and not to worry or anxiety. God wants you to fully submit to Him because He is the true peace and your real purpose.
Seek to love the Lord with all your heart!