“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being].” – Deuteronomy 6:5 (AMP)
God had been walking with the patriarchs of the children of Israel for generations even before they became a nation and He had always shown them that the one who would walk with Him is the one whose heart loves Him completely. Many people have given to God in different proportions but the one who gives acceptably is the one that loves God more than anything else.
Abraham could even think of sacrificing Isaac in obedience to the instruction of God because he loved God more than his beloved and long awaited son of promise, Isaac. Naturally, Abraham could have drawn the line that he will never sacrifice Isaac to God because he suffered a lot before he had him. But Abraham loved God way more than that. God is delighted when men see Him as the ultimate one to be loved without holding back.
In Deuteronomy 6, God spoke to the children of Israel through Moses, and later became known as the king of greatest commandment when Jesus came, that they must love Him with all their heart, soul, body and strength, and in essence, God was saying that they must love Him with all of their being. And whatever they desire to bring to God must originate from this heart of love.
It is possible to give without love and just have the reward for giving as the motivation. Love for God must be the motivation behind your giving to God. Giving is rewarding, but let not the reward be the reason you give because once the reward doesn’t come or is delayed, you will no longer be willing to give. And as God commanded the Israelites, Obey the instruction to love Him too.
Reflections: Do I truly love the Lord? What’s t motivation behind my giving? What if the reward for my giving doesn’t come as I’d expected, will I still give?
Confession: I love the Lord with all my strength, and heart and might. Nothing else will ever take His place in my heart.
Related Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Bible Reading: John 20
