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Encompassing the Shema
In the verses following the Shema, we are told to allow these commands are meant to infiltrate our entire lives. When we choose to love God with our hearts, souls, and minds, this will be evident in what we do and in how we love others. The way we participate in the day-to-day is an outward sign of our desire to live a life that reflects God’s heart. To Moses, it seems very important to mention that our intentions may be lost whenever our actions do not reflect our intent. Realizing our lives point to what we truly love is necessary.
If we truly love God, there is no need to hide our intentions to love Him. We are firmly instructed in these verses to not only live a life that reflects what we believe, but to post what we believe in places where others we interact with can clearly see what we are about. The directives here are basically to be so wrapped and consumed with loving God that all else is drastically impacted.…
With all your mind.
Within my mind’s process of determining what is real and true, I find that I often to fail to trust what God says is true. God doesn’t want me to lean on my own understanding, but to trust that there are pieces of understanding that I am unable to comprehend. However, God offers us wisdom when we ask and the Holy Spirit to encourage us to learn and remember what is true.
When we do not lean on Him, ask for wisdom, or spend time discovering His perspective through reading the Bible, our minds decide to fill in the story and look to other humans, who have limited knowledge, to patch up our gaps in getting the full picture. In no way does God want us to avoid discovering or learning about the world, history, or science, but God does want us to be careful because when we rely our our limited understanding, we may get things wrong…
With all your soul…
Only God knows our intentions and posture of why we give and receive love. At times, we even lie to ourselves about the condition of our souls. Our life can only reflects how much we know, love, and trust God. The way we behave is secondary. Obeying God out of obligation, fear, shame, or to earn God’s love are all in vain. A desire to know, love, and trust God is where we are transformed. By developing our connection with Him, our soul is nourished and restored.
If we actually love someone, we yearn for time and connection with them. When our soul cries out to be loved, God is the only salve that heals. Money, power, comfort, validation, control, sex, and accomplishments cannot give us fulfillment. Our soul cries out to be loved, but we look for that love to be satisfied in all the wrong places. To crave love is the human condition; to look for it outside of God is a common experience; this is the result of our delusion that we can save ourselves.
But, do you love yourself enough to give your soul what it truly desires?…
With all your heart…
I remember explaining my love for my children to a friend who was expecting her second child. She was concerned she would not be able to love her second child exactly the way she loved her first child. I shared with her that she was absolutely right. Loving our children is a unique experience for each one. While I love all of my kids immensely, the love I have for them is special and reflective of our specific relationship. I don’t love my kids the same, I love them each the way they need to be loved. I couldn’t possibly love them all in a blanket, measurable way.
My friend looked back at me with a blank stare that made me question everything. As we processed this information, she helped me realize she was more worried about having enough love to give. Then I asked her where she gets her love…
Love God.
Suddenly, I was out of breath. As my breath quickened, I felt my heart race, and it was like a series of gears inside my brain allowed pieces of love assemble into a beautiful mosaic of truth in the forefront of my mind. Even though I had read this verse countless times, this moment left me with a fresh awareness and I heard God whisper: Love me by letting others love you. It brought me back to that moment of clarity about discipleship and I was, again, emotionally moved by remembering the beauty of the gospel by seeing how simple and complicated it is all at once…
Our God is One
Our God went to Moses, saw his value, and brought him back to Egypt to free His people. The God Moses is referring to in the Shema (Sh’ma) prayer is also the same God who brought Jesus into the world. He sacrificed so much for His people over time so that all my know His deep love.
He is the same God who loves you and desires to see that you know how loved you are…
Who is Israel?
The names used for God’s people has changed over time. At first, we required no name, because we all were His creation. Over time, the family of Adam, after about 1000 years, lead to a man named Noah. After God brought a great flood that covered the whole earth, the three sons of Noah spread across the earth. Derived from the name of one of the sons, Shem, came a name that represented the people of God for generations: Hebrew…
Yearning for a Fresh Start
The new year, even if you are not the goal setting type, feels like a new beginning for many of us. Even though I no longer purchase a crisp new planner and pack of colorful pens, the experience of “January” still fills me with the same nostalgic feeling of starting over; having an opportunity to look at the world a bit differently.
When Gratitude Stretches Us
In this moment, at the final gathering, I was filled with a plethora of emotions. Sadness the week was over, relief the children would no longer be my sole responsibility, gratitude for what we had been through together, and anticipation of going back to normal life. As these flooded me and became tangible all at once, I was aware of the preciousness of this shared experience…
Week 4: He Longs for Us to Reflect His Heart
Below is a 28-day guided study about The Heart of God Through David’s Eyes which was created to invite you to encounter God’s heart in new ways. Below is Week 4 of the study. For the book with all four weeks, purchase a copy on Amazon.