Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The first two sentences of this passage are what Jews call the “Shema” — the basic confession of faith in Judaism — and you might remember that Jesus quoted these verses in three of the Gospels. This advice is just as pertinent today as it was back in the time of Moses. The Lord is One… there is only one God. This may seem insensitive and proud to some, but how can we say that there are many gods and that all religions are good? The Bible clearly states that there is one Creator and one Savior, and without Him a person cannot be saved. Because of this, we cannot be afraid to stick to our guns about the truth, but at the same time have love and compassion for those who have not yet accepted the truth for themselves.
There is only one correct response to God: total devotion. When this passage says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength,” I don’t think the word “love” refers to emotion and professions of love, but rather to making the choice to be completely devoted to Him, to put Him first… heart, soul, and strength. True love involves feelings and passion but is far more than that, it is selfless, caring, faithful, and obedient. True love for God communicates that He is our treasure by the way we live our lives.
We naturally speak about things that interest us — flowerbeds, football, cars, children, marriage, friendships — and if God is number one in our lives we should naturally spend time talking about Him to our children, spouses, and friends. If you’ve “fallen in love” with someone and are thinking about marriage, but he/she never talks about you to any of his/her friends or family, you would immediately take several steps back and reevaluate the entire relationship. If we truly love God He will constantly be on our minds, and we will love talking about Him.
Years after these verses were written the Jews began to take them literally; men began to wear phylacteries (boxes containing passages of Scripture) whenever they prayed. They would tie these boxes on their foreheads and arms, and still do so today. They also attached “mezuzahs” (boxes containing passages of Scripture) to the doorposts of their houses, and still do today. But God did not necessarily mean this when He spoke these words. He wants His Word to be foremost in our thoughts, and to be a apart of everything that we are and do. He knows that Satan and his demons are at war with us and that they also use words: lies, doubt, and words of confusion. The words we fill our minds and hearts with are the deciding factor in whether we win or lose the war for our souls. Our children are a particular target of the devil and his demons. If we value God’s Word we will have the tools to fight and win, but if we don’t, the devil’s words will prevail. — Let’s be bold and diligent in filling our lives with His words.
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