Focus 40 Day 12

Loving God becomes Your Story

“Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
—Deuteronomy 6:4–5 niv

The command to love God is as old as the Bible itself. Centuries before Jesus came, the Israelites were given the instruction of Deuteronomy 6. But when you ponder the words of verse 4, the idea of love is like a skeleton. Without the organs and flesh, it isn't particularly attractive. Love may have a definition like: “Unconditional positive regard,” but the skeleton needs life, movement, emotion! Loving God must take on life; it must breathe; it must become your own story.

Certainly David would have learned as a child the instruction of Deuteronomy. Psalm 18 reflects a day in the life of this young soldier-poet when he celebrated the actions of a loving God who had rescued him from untold danger and calamity. He composes a song that begins with these words, “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”

Without giving us battlefield particulars, David rejoices in the story that he and God have written together. David’s psalm is a song about his great need and God’s perfect protection.

To love God is to know the word of command; then it is to begin the walk that writes an original story with your name in it.

Heavenly Father, today I receive the command to love you as your extreme invitation to care about me and walk with me. We have written many pages of my story with you already. Now I want the page for this day to be the best it can be as we walk together. I love you, Lord. You are my strength and my deliverer. Where will we go? What will we write today? I love to anticipate how you will prepare the way for our journey.

Robert G. Christensen, Senior Pastor, Mt. Scott Church of God, Portland, Oregon