What a list!! Lets go over it again.
1. Fear the Lord your God.
Does this mean literal fear? I don't think that it literally means the idea of walking on eggshells because at every turn God is just waiting to smack you down. I do think however that we should be very well aware of the fact that it could actually happen though and that God would be entirely right to do so. After all, does He not tell Adam, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eatt of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16, 17 ESV).
2. Love the Lord.
This is a hard thing to do. We are flighty and fickle. We love one day and hate the next. We grow tired and bored. So how do we love the Lord in a way that is real and lasting. One way is by obedience. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 ESV) This obedience however is also a constant ebb and flow, back and forth. So how do we consistently love the Lord and consistently obey. We must ask God to do something in us to change our desires toward Him.
3. Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
From the deepest part of you must come an all consuming passion to serve the Lord with gladness and joy.
4. Keep the statutes and commandments which have been given to us by God.
Have you ever thought about how wonderful it is that God has given us the commandments found in scripture? My guess would be that you have probably wished that He hadn't. The beauty of the giving of the Law is that it shows us that we have sinned. You may say, "why is that so wonderful?". Because without our knowledge of our sin we cannot repent. If we cannot repent we cannot have eternal life. The knowledge of sin, although it causes great guilt on our part is so instrumental to our salvation.
Note the last phrase in verse 13. It says that all these things are for our good. God has given us these requirements not for harm or to cause us grief, but for our benefit. We often find His commands burdensome. Our trouble is that we misunderstand and misinterpret the meaning of good. Like a child whose idea of fun is sticking their finger in an electrical socket or putting there hand on the hot stove. When they are told, "No." they burst into a fountain of tears and throw a huge tantrum. But is not your command to them for their good? As the parent you know better than your child what is good for them and what will harm them. Just think of how much more the Creator God knows what is for our good. Let's acknowledge His sovereign understanding and will above our own.
-Rickey
Location:W Point Tap Rd,Palestine,United States
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