Deuteronomy 6:5-6 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
In yesterday's verse we were called to "love intensely", the picture is of striving with determination.
When I read that word and thought about it for a moment, my daughter Laurie came to mind. She was and always has been a strong willed child, when she set her mind on something she would do all that she could to achieve it. remember her winning the sprint in the AWANA Olympics, she went on to set school records in track in high school. If you were to put her in Washington DC, she'd be the fiscal hawk that could put the country's finances in order. It would be tough but she'd strive with a strong determination to do it.
That's the kind of picture I have for today's verse, loving, striving, a strong determination to love God with all our heart. This was at the forefront of the mind of Moses in Deuteronomy 6 which came to be known as the "Shema" and would be repeated daily by the followers of God through the ages. It was needed to build a strong faith, a strong love, and a strong home. Thinking of that strong determination brought me to the words of the Philips, Craig and Dean song of the same name.
It takes a strong determination;
A faith that never doubts,
A courage to forgive,
A heart that reconciles,
Life full of devotion'
A faith that won't give up,
It takes a strong determination
To build a house of love. Philips, Craig and Dean - Strong Determination
My prayer for my daughter Laurie, and my prayer for all of us is that we would have that strong determination to love God with all our hearts and to apply it in our homes in devotion, courage, forgiveness and reconciliation.
In Christ,
Mike
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Deuteronomy 6:4-8
New International Version (NIV)
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.
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