What is Really Wanted

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. – (Deuteronomy 10:12, NIV)

Now, Israelites, listen! What does the Lord your God really want from you? The Lord your God wants you to respect Him and do what He says. He wants you to love Him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. – (Deuteronomy 10:12, ERV)

So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in His presence in holy reverence, follow the road He sets out for you, love Him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you. – (Deuteronomy 10:12, MSG)

Though these were things asked of Israel as they were in the desert, preparing to move toward the promised land, these are still the same things that God asks of us today. To love and respect the Lord and to serve Him, is the gist of what Jesus told us the commands of God meant. We are called to love God and love people. If we truly love, we will respect, honor, and serve with all that we are. This applies to every aspect of our lives. To love God means to love His creation as well. Everyone we see, and all those whom we encounter, are created and loved by God. As we love God wholeheartedly and seek to do His will, He grows in us the desire to love others as He loves us. May we ever pursue the Lord and His path for our lives, so that we learn to love Him and all people as He intended.

Long gone are the days,

Of Levitical law;

Instead we’re to love,

And of God, stand in awe.

For God has made us,

To give and receive love;

And walk in His ways,

Choose seek the Lord above.

For the more we seek,

We forever shall find;

The ways we’re to walk,

And the grace to be kind.

Lord, help us rise up,

To love all others well;

You are the reason,

That in love we may dwell.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your plan and purpose for us has always been to be in a loving relationship with You and all those around us. Thank You that You show us and lead us in the love we are meant to give. Forgive us for the times that our words, thoughts and deeds have not aligned with loving You and loving those whom You have placed on our path. Teach us to love, honor and serve You with our whole heart, so that we may grow in love and grace to love well, all those around us. Show us how to love like You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we invest our heart, soul, and mind into loving You and all those whom we meet. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. – Mark 12:30-31

What He Requires

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul. – (Deuteronomy 10:12, NLT)

Now, Israelites, listen! What does the Lord your God really want from you? The Lord your God wants you to respect Him and do what He says. He wants you to love Him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. – (Deuteronomy 10:12, ERV)

And now, Israel, what is the Eternal your God asking of you? Only that you fear Him, live as He wants you to, and love Him; serve Him with every part of you, heart and soul. – (Deuteronomy 10:12, VOICE)

 

What God asked of Israel, is still what He asks of us today. He desires our hearts and souls to be committed to Him in all of our ways. When we come to know God, and who He is, we cannot help but stand in awe of His power and majesty – for He is God and we are not. If we live in a way that places the Lord on His rightful throne in our lives, then we will be living in a way that is pleasing to Him. God gives us a free will. We must choose to either follow Him, or walk away. Unless we are purposefully pursuing the Lord, we are moving further away from Him and His will in our lives. May we seek the Lord in awe and reverence, giving Him all of our heart and all of our soul as we love and serve Him for all of our days.

 

More than anything,

God longs for our hearts;

to seek and to trust,

in ALL, not just part.

For the Lord is good,

in all of His ways;

worthy of our awe,

throughout all our days.

May we live our lives,

pleasing to the Lord;

loving and serving,

through grace He affords.

With all of our heart,

and all of our soul;

may we stand in awe,

and yield our control.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that there is a remarkable exchange when we choose to follow You. Thank You that when we choose to submit to Your will and way, we gain Your presence and promises forever. Thank You that You do not ask anything of us that You are not also willing to empower us to do. Thank You that You give us Your Spirit to love and serve as You ask of us. Forgive us for not having a healthy fear and reverence of You, as You are God and we are not. Teach us to have a proper perspective, so that we will seek to love and honor You in all things and at all times. Show us how to love others in the same way that we are loved by You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek to live, love and serve in a way that is pleasing unto You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

Listen… be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. – Proverbs 23:19

What is Required?

So often, what is expected for one to walk out a life of faith, becomes convoluted by rules and regulations that God did not impart.  If we go back to the beginning, as God was about to lead the people into the promise land, He told Moses what He required.  “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in 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?” – (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

To fear the Lord our God, is to have reverence for Him.  He is all-knowing and the Creator of all, that alone should inspire our awe.

To walk in His ways, is to live our lives in obedience to what He is asking.  This means we must come to Him and not only ask, but also be willing to listen and obey.

To love Him, is to give Him our whole heart, holding nothing back from the lover of our soul.  He who is Love, deserves nothing less.

To serve the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul, is to give each day our very best unto Him.  Regardless of the obstacles that come our way, we must choose to trust Him, and seek to serve and honor Him in all that we say and do.

To observe the Lord’s commands and decrees, is best summed up by loving God and loving people.  If we do both of these, we are obeying His commands.

Peace is found not through our doing enough, but in the true recognition of who He is, and how much He loves us.  The more we know Him, the more we are compelled to respect, follow, love, serve and obey our awesome God.

Reverent fear,

for Ancient of Days;

hope and our help,

for now and always.

Seek out to serve,

with whole heart and soul;

honor, obey,

our God we extol.

Do all He asks,

and love above all;

obedience,

to answer His call.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You do not ask anything of us, that You won’t also equip and empower us to do.  You grant us strength to surrender, power to persevere, hope in longsuffering, and peace in the eye of the storm.  Forgive us for our fearfulness and for our lack of respect and reverence unto You, for You deserve all of our hearts, in all things and at all times.  Teach us how to trust in such a way, that we are swift to surrender all unto You.  Let Your love lead us to follow You so that we lovingly and respectfully serve You, as we obey what You ask, and love others with Your great and lasting love.  May many come to know You personally, as their Savior and King.  Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

Shout aloud and sing for joy. – Isaiah 12:6