By Jeana Valdivieso
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NASB) “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
This section of scripture is referred to as the Shema. An ancient prayer that is so important that it is still recited every morning and evening in traditional Jewish households. It also holds the answer to the question that Christians frequently ask…what am I called to do?
Verse four makes it clear to the Israelites (and to us) that we are to only serve the one true God. There is no room for idols. During the time that these scriptures were written the idols were easily identified. They were usually forged using a precious metal or carved out of wood. Modern day idols tend to be less tangible and more difficult to recognize. Examples might include social status, wealth, titles, degrees or anything else that fills your mind and steals large amounts of your time and energy from your relationship with Christ. The enemy has gone to great lengths to conceal our idols in order to divide our focus and allegiance to our Creator. The Lord wants, and deserves, your total devotion and commitment. Seek Him first (Matthew 6:33), with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13) and He will reveal any hidden idols in your life so that He, and He alone, can rule on the throne of your life.
The next verse “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with allyour soul and with all your might” is such a powerful and important verse that it is referenced in three of the gospels (Matt. 22:37-39, Mark 12:30,31, Luke 10:27). Jesus points back to these words in Deuteronomy when asked what the greatest commandment is. Ponder that for a few minutes…the Messiah, Lord of Lords, perfect Lamb of God states that the most important item on your life’s agenda is to love God with everything you’ve got. No reserves. He then adds to that commandment by instructing you to love your neighbor (people He puts in your path) as yourself.
So, to answer the question stated above (what am I called to do?), you’re called to have one God on the throne of your life and to love Him with every ounce of matter that makes up the beautiful you that He created. His desire is to consume you with His tender, yet powerful, glory and grace so that you can pour out His love onto others. Consistent exposure to His love through abiding time with Him and studying His Word fills us up to completion and eventually flows out of us and onto others. It’s a beautiful river of love that originates at the very throne of God.
I encourage you to step into that river and soak in His love. Give Him His rightful place on the throne of your life. Seek the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any idols that you might have put before Him. Then ask Him to fill you with His love through His word and prayer so that you can take that love and pour it into others. When you follow the words of the Shema by loving the Lord with your whole being and love all the people that the Lord puts in your path, then everything else in your life will fall into place. He’s given you His word, and there is no greater guarantee than that.
Dear Heavenly Father, you are the source of all love. We come before your throne and ask that you fill us to overflowing and wash out any unclean idols that we have set up before you in our lives. You are the one true God, the Holy One and the only one that deserves our praise and adoration. Thank you for your mercies that are new every morning and your sweet Holy Spirit that woos us to hunger for more of you. Keep filling our hearts with your love, our minds with your thoughts and our souls with your guiding Holy Spirit. Amen