Deuteronomy 6:5
Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
In case you have been under a
rock for the last few days, let me remind you that it’s almost
Valentine’s Day! Everywhere you turn, there are ads and information
about this holiday…encouragements to order your flowers
early…suggestions for the best chocolates or that perfect gift for your
special love. Valentine’s Day is the biggest holiday of the year for
many children. Believe it or not, this holiday trumps Christmas! There
is just something about all of those colorful little cards with
sentiments of love and friendship that stirs a child’s heart and fills
him/her with joy and excitement.
On the February 8th edition of CBS’s Sunday Morning,
comedian Jim Gaffigan presented a monologue about Valentine’s Day and
how we’ve made such a big deal about ONE DAY each year on which we show
our love to others. He noted that we purchase cards with sentiments
that we didn’t write and sign our names to them…we spend a lot of money
on impractical things that we hope will adequately express to someone
else how much we love and care for them. He scoffs at the significance
we have placed on this holiday and humorously reminds us to learn to
make EVERY day a Valentine’s Day – and to shower our “beloved” with
continual affection and devotion.
A friend recently shared an
essay on Facebook in which the writer suggested that prayer helps us
develop a deeper understanding of what God is telling us in scripture.
In other words, we become better able to “read between the lines”. And
that is what I believe we can do with this verse from Deuteronomy 6.
When
we love God with our whole heart – with all that is in us and all that
we have – we increase our desire to be in His presence. As we grow in
our love and affection for Him, we desire to be continually in His
presence – much like when we fall in love with our mortal “beloveds”.
As we strive to emulate the love of Christ to others, we become more
aware of His constant companionship. So to connect the dots…if you
develop a deep, abiding, loving relationship with God, you will more
clearly feel His presence in your life each and every day. As you serve
God and share Him with others, your “connection” to Him will
strengthen.
When we make God our ultimate “Beloved”, every day is
“Valentine’s Day”…and He is always with us. How deep is your love for
God these days? Do you love Him with all you’ve got? Have you “sent
God a Valentine” lately? Don’t you think you should?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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