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TIE THEM AS SYMBOLS ON YOUR HANDS...

...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NIV

I'm sure you've heard the first part of the passage I posted above. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." etc. What do you think of when you hear this? It sounds pretty simple, right?

It's actually quite difficult. Perhaps something that has been attempted many times, and only achieved once.

A friend I was talking to was teaching me about the many things we as Christians face: the challenges that get between us and God... sin, the world, and Satan.

Sin and Satan are the more obvious ones... we give in to their temptations and go against what God wants for us.

But the world? Why is the world something that could get our way of loving God??? Jesus tells us that we will face troubles in the world. That the world opposes Him, too.

Believe it or not, the world  and our nature actually opposed Jesus. The world is the opposite of Him, it is greedy, proud, in conflict, and selfish.

But Deuteronomy tells us to love God will our entire being-- our entire soul. All of our hearts, and every ounce of strength we are blessed with. What is consuming your soul? What inhabits your heart? And what are you putting your strength towards?

Call on Jesus, and follow Him into the light. As Deuteronomy 6:8 says, "tie them [His commandments] as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads..." Make Him your everything, because you won't regret it.

Dear God,

Please help me follow you completely. I'll never do it perfectly, but help me put my strength into following You the best I can. I know that I'll need Your help to do it, but I'm trusting in You.

Amen.



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