Wholehearted Devotion

Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. — Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Standing on the bank of the Jordan River, Moses called the Israelites to wholehearted devotion to God: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. This command, which became known as the Shema, begins with God, not us. He is unique. He is unified. He is one. And, He has an absolute claim over all things. Because He alone is God, He deserves the full measure of our love. In Scripture, the heart is the seat of our will, desires, and identity. Our heart is who we are. Therefore, to love God with all our hearts means that everything in our lives is brought under His Lordship. We reject half-hearted religion to pursue a life shaped by who God is. Our thoughts, decisions, and affections belong to Him. 

Sadly, this kind of love for God does not arise naturally from within us. It must be created and grown in grace through faith in Christ. As we study God’s Word, remember His faithfulness, and contemplate His mercy, our hearts are gradually reoriented toward Him in a daily posture of surrender as we follow Him. Our love reveals itself in ordinary obedience to His commands. That was Moses’s reason for writing Deuteronomy. He wanted the Israelites to obey God out of love because God had loved them and been faithful to them. He issues the same call to us. Thankfully, in Christ, we have seen the perfect expression of God’s love (John 1:18), and through Him, our divided hearts are being made whole. So today, ask the Lord for a more unified heart, one that delights in Him above all else, finding its rest in His unchanging love. 

Prayer: Almighty Father, You have the absolute claim over all things. I do not often live like I believe this is true. Forgive me in Your grace, and help me to love and follow You with an undivided and submissive heart. 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What competing affections or loyalties in your life tend to draw your heart away from loving God fully? 
2. In what practical ways can you cultivate a more wholehearted love for God in your daily routines this week? 

Weekly Memory Verse: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. — Deuteronomy 6:4-5