Commanded to Love

Commanded to Love When God etched the Ten Commandments into two stone tablets, He left no doubt about the obedience He desired from His people. With each command, the gravity of God’s perfect standard was confirmed—and so was humanity’s sinfulness. As we read through the overwhelming list of dos and don’ts in Deuteronomy, we are forced to face our inability to perfectly keep the law. Thankfully, God doesn’t set an impossible task when He asks us to obey Him. He prefaces the command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength with the infallible truth that He is the one and only God. He is holy, sovereign, and eternal, and He deserves our worship and obedience. And if that’s not enough, He has reconciled us to Himself through His Son, allowing us to have a personal relationship with Him. When we grasp the truth of God’s unmerited love and kindness, we will inevitably respond with a heart of gratitude and obedience. And although we’ll continually fail to love Him with our entire heart, soul, and strength, our efforts should never cease.