UNDIVIDED LOYALTY TO GOD
In Deut. 6:4, Moses relays God’s command, “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
In today’s passage from Deut. 13:6-11, Moses reiterates the importance of following God’s command. It is so serious, that if someone attempts to seduce you to turn away from God, you should not listen to them. Not only that, you should be the first one to cast a stone to kill the seducer, since causing someone to turn away from God was considered a capital crime.
Although we no longer punish those who attempt to lead us away from Christ, the seriousness of turning away is still as important as it was in Moses’ day. In answering the scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mk 12:29-30, Jesus responded “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’“
In Mat. 18:8-9, Jesus stated, “And if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell.”
Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we have. It’s important enough that we would be better off removing parts of our body than to lose our relationship with God. Jesus asks for our undivided loyalty to Him as our God and Savior.
Lord, thank you for what you have done for me. I ask for your strength to help me live my life in total obedience to You and Your Word. (all verses from NASB)
In today’s passage from Deut. 13:6-11, Moses reiterates the importance of following God’s command. It is so serious, that if someone attempts to seduce you to turn away from God, you should not listen to them. Not only that, you should be the first one to cast a stone to kill the seducer, since causing someone to turn away from God was considered a capital crime.
Although we no longer punish those who attempt to lead us away from Christ, the seriousness of turning away is still as important as it was in Moses’ day. In answering the scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mk 12:29-30, Jesus responded “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’“
In Mat. 18:8-9, Jesus stated, “And if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell.”
Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we have. It’s important enough that we would be better off removing parts of our body than to lose our relationship with God. Jesus asks for our undivided loyalty to Him as our God and Savior.
Lord, thank you for what you have done for me. I ask for your strength to help me live my life in total obedience to You and Your Word. (all verses from NASB)
by Ken Zook, Deacon
Posted in Read Through the Bible
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