TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS

James 1:1-18 / Keywords 1:12

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

 

1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Footnotes

a. James 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 16 and 19; and in 2:1, 5, 14; 3:10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19.

 

1. James wrote this epistle to the twelve tribes, scattered throughout the nations. Likely, they were scattered because of persecution. How were they to consider their trials? They were to consider them as pure joy! Why? Because when the Lord lets their faith be tested it results in perseverance. When we persevere, our faith becomes mature and complete. When we face trials, we should ask God for wisdom, and he will grant it to us, because God gives generously without finding fault.

2. Whatever trial we may experience, whether it be poverty, or the loss of our wealth, we can endure them and take pride in them with faith in God. When we persevere, we are blessed and will receive the crown of life from our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. James then addresses temptations. We must remember that our temptations do not come from God. Temptations come when we are led away by our own evil desires. God does not tempt us because temptation leads to sin and sin to death. God cannot give us temptation. He gives us every good and perfect gift. He loves us and gives us new birth through the word of truth as a kind of first fruits.

Prayer Father, help us to count our trials as pure joy, knowing that through them, you are making our faith complete.

One Word Persevere through trials

WHAT DOES THE LORD ASK OF YOU?

Deuteronomy 10:1-22 / Keywords 10:12-13

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

 

10:1 At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”

3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now.

6 (The Israelites traveled from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. 9 That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as the Lord your God told them.)

10 Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as I did the first time, and the Lord listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you. 11 “Go,” the Lord said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. 22 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Footnotes

a. Deuteronomy 10:1 That is, a chest

 

1. God restored his covenant with his people as a result of Moses’ intercession and God’s will (10). This was symbolized by the creation of two new stone tablets, upon which the Ten Commandments were written. In addition, God established the Levites to supplement the priests of Aaron’s line (6-9), and gave them a clear direction: “Go... that they may enter and possess the land” (11). In short, God provided everything they needed to receive the land and live a blessed and happy life there.

2. What did God ask in return? Fear the LORD (12a), which meant to honor and revere God as Almighty Creator (14). To walk in obedience to God, loving and serving God with all their heart and soul (12b). This is in response to God’s grace of choosing them and redeeming them (15-16). Lastly, they are to observe all the LORD’s commandments and decrees (13). Doing so creates a just society, filled with mercy and compassion, and reflecting God’s good character (17-20). We see that doing what God asks was for their own good and is the secret to maintaining fellowship with God. Through Jesus, God has provided all we need to dwell in his grace, be molded into his image, and carry out his will today, too. It starts by responding to God’s grace each day by fearing, loving, and obeying God in our self-reflection and practical decision making.

Prayer Father, thank you for providing all I need through Jesus. Help me do all you ask today.

One Word Fear, love, and obey our God

NOT BECAUSE OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Deuteronomy 9:1-29 / Keywords 9:5

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 

9:1 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” 3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you.

4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.

7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.

11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”

13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”

15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.

18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and so arousing his anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me. 20 And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.

22 You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah.

23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.

25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.”

1. Before entering the land, the people must deal with their fear and selfrighteousness, which had previously led to their rebellion against God (Num 14). To combat their fear, Moses reminds them of God’s almighty power (3). To prevent groundless pride, they must understand that it is not because of their righteousness that they will receive this land. God was judging these wicked nations and keeping his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

2. To remain humble and depend on God’s grace, they must never forget how stiffnecked they were. Moses reminds them of the Golden Calf incident (16) and their rebellion at Kadesh Barnea (23). The covenant God established with them was broken almost immediately. It could not be a basis for righteousness, only guilt. But Moses interceded for them in fasting prayer on the basis of God’s grace and promise (26-27). Remembering the past makes clear God’s grace of redemption, God’s mediator, God’s promise and not their righteousness, that brought about his blessing. In the same way, we are redeemed by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus is a superior mediator than Moses (Heb 8:6; 9:15). Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise. As we dwell on these truths, we, too, will avoid the pitfalls of fear and self-righteousness.

Prayer Father, thank you for Jesus, my Savior and Lord. Help me remember your grace so I may not become ruled by fear or by self-righteousness.

One Word Righteous only by Jesus’ blood

REMEMBER HOW THE LORD LED YOU

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 / Keywords 8:2

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

 

8:1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

 

1. God’s grace and promise was being carried out in that new generation, whom God led in the wilderness for forty years. Like a good father, God disciplined them through manna training. God humbled them, teaching that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. They were trained and ready to receive all of God’s blessings. To keep them, they must remember how the LORD led them. This basic life lesson would be tested each day in a land of blessing. Remembering the LORD is shown through obedience (6) and praise (10), then and now. As we do so, we remain humble and remember his grace. Such life is filled with the joys of both God’s fatherly presence and his blessing.

2. But if the Israelites began to forget God’s grace and discipline, a downward spiral would begin. God’s good laws would become burdensome, and they would stop obeying them. Greedy for the wealth of the land, they would become proud, even forgetting God’s saving grace to them (14). Forgetting manna training would make them depend on themselves for daily provisions (16-18). Their thoughts and behavior would become just like the wicked nations before them, and they would be destroyed (19-20). Forgetting the LORD has a terrible cost.

Prayer Father, thank you for leading me, humbling me, and disciplining me. Help me never forget your grace and training, and to praise you each day.

One Word Remember to praise the LORD

A PEOPLE HOLY TO THE LORD YOUR GOD

Deuteronomy 7:1-26 / Keywords 7:6

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

 

7:1 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally.[a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles[b] and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But

those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;

    he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” 18 But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. 25 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

Footnotes

a. Deuteronomy 7:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.

b. Deuteronomy 7:5 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Deuteronomy

 

1. The Promised Land was populated by seven mighty but godless nations. They had to be wiped out. Why? One reason was to prevent their godless influence from corrupting God’s people (4). Another reason was that the LORD was repaying those who hated him (10). Israel was God’s instrument of judgment. They are a people holy to the LORD. What made them such a treasured possession? Verse 6 says it was the LORD your God’s sovereign choice. It was not any greatness they had—as they were the smallest of nations (7). They were a band of refugees from Egypt who grumbled and complained. Why did God choose them? Verse 8 says it was because the LORD loved them and redeemed them. In the same way, we are God’s holy nation on the basis of his choice and his love. Our loving obedience to God is in response to his love and faithfulness to us.

2. God’s people must not compromise with or fear wicked people. Rather, obeying God’s law provides a lifestyle of blessing. See the repetitions of “the LORD your God will....” in this passage! We may be weak, but the LORD our God is a great and awesome God (21). Let’s decide to trust and obey God today.

Prayer Thank you for choosing, loving, and redeeming me as your holy people. Help me not compromise but trust and obey you today.

One Word The LORD your God is faithful

FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD

Deuteronomy 6:10-25 / Keywords 6:13

Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.

 

6:10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

 

1. God was bringing them into the Promised Land, fulfilling his promises to the Patriarchs. But the danger of enjoying the land full of milk and honey - including houses they didn’t build, good things they didn’t provide, wells they didn’t dig, and vineyards they didn’t plant - would tempt them to forget the LORD. God’s grace of redemption must not be forgotten! They suffered as slaves in Egypt, but God brought them out. To remember God’s grace, they must fear the LORD and serve him only (13) and keep his commands out of love (17). Instead of following the evil example of past generations, they must do what is right in the LORD’s sight (18).

2. As children grow up, they will ask their parents about their lifestyle. Parents are to respond with the story of God’s redemptive grace. They obey God and strive for righteousness because of God’s love for them (25). This righteousness is fulfilled in Jesus and imparted to us by faith (2Co 5:21). We must not forget the grace of God, who delivered us from the power of sin. Instead, we love God by obeying and fearing the LORD our God. Telling stories of God’s grace to us and how we responded with obedience is the best way to explain the fear of the LORD to others. This testimony sets a beautiful legacy for a thousand generations.

Prayer Father, help me never forget your saving grace to me through Jesus, but to tell the story of your love to everyone.

One Word Do not forget the LORD your God

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 / Keywords 6:4-5

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.

 

6:1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Footnotes

a, Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone

1. God has proven his love so tangibly and clearly through his promises. He promised that they would increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey (3). God loves us with all his heart, even giving his only Son to save the world (Jn 3:16). How are we to love God? Twice we are commanded to “hear” (3, 4), which involves understanding and obeying God’s commands. We are also told to fear the LORD (3). This fear is not terror but flows from love. Those who love Jesus obey him (Jn 14:15); perfect love drives out fear (1Jn 4:18). The point of observing God’s commands is to live in a love relationship with God. In response to God’s love, we love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength.

2. Loving God in this way is very practical. Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920, Dutch theologian) wrote: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry; ‘Mine!’” Is this shown in what our hearts meditate on and plan? Are we impressing this on our children? Does the love of God flavor our conversations at home and abroad? Does it govern our hands, heads, and gates? Let’s love the LORD our God.

Prayer Father, thank you for loving me with all your heart. Help me hear your words, fear you, and love you practically with all my heart, soul, and strength.

One Word Love God with all your heart