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Moses charged the people of Israel to love God—Deut. 6:5; 10:12:
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The word love implies affection, which is something very tender—v. 12:
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God Himself has set an example of loving by setting His affection on His people—v. 15.
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We should love God by setting our affection on Him.
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The love of God in 1 John 2:5 denotes our love toward God, which is generated by His love within us; God first loved us in that He infused us with His love and generated within us the love with which we love Him and the brothers—4:19-21.
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In Deuteronomy 10:12 Moses spoke of loving God with all our heart and all our soul, and in 6:5 he commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul, and might (our physical strength); we love the Lord our God with all our being, that is, from our heart, through our soul, our mind, to our body—Mark 12:30.
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To love God (1 Cor. 2:9) means to set our entire being—spirit, soul, and body, with the heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30)—absolutely on Him, that is, to let our entire being be occupied by Him and lost in Him, so that He becomes everything to us and we are one with Him practically in our daily life.
Ⅳ
Moses commanded the people of Israel to fear God—Deut. 14:23; 31:13:
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We all should fear God; we must have a proper fear of God—Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 1 Pet. 1:17; 2:17; 3:2, 16; 2 Cor. 7:1:
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This is a holy fear, that is, a healthy, serious caution that leads us to behave holily—Phil. 2:12.
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We should fear God and want to be separated, sanctified, unto Him as a holy people—Eph. 1:4; 5:27; Col. 1:22; 1 Thes. 5:23; 1 Pet. 1:16.
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To fear God is to submit to His authority—Matt. 28:18.
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Because God is severe toward those who are rebellious, we need to fear Him—Num. 12:1-12; 16:1-35.
Morning Nourishment
Deut. 6:5 And you shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.10:12 And now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your God ask of you except that you fear Jehovah your God so that you would walk in all His ways and love Him and serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
To love God means to set our entire being—spirit, soul, and body, with the heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30)—absolutely on Him, that is, to let our entire being be occupied by Him and lost in Him, so that He becomes everything to us and we are one with Him practically in our daily life. In this way we have the closest and most intimate fellowship with God. It is thus we are able to enter into His heart and apprehend all its secrets (Psa. 73:25; 25:14). Thus, we not only realize, but also experience, enjoy, and fully participate in these deep and hidden things of God. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, p. 144)
Today’s Reading
Moses speaks [in Deuteronomy 10:12] of fearing God. We all must have a proper fear of God. However, it seems that today many people, claiming that they are free, do not fear anything or anyone, including God. This lack of fear is terrible; it is the source of all kinds of lawlessness. The young people should recognize that, according to God’s ordination, there is authority in the family, in society, and in the church. In whatever we do, say, and think, we all need to fear God. He is observing us and knows where we are and what we are doing. Eventually, we will reap a harvest from what we sow, and we will eat the fruit of this harvest.When we fear God, we will walk in His ways. God’s ways are actually what God is. This means that whatever God is, is a way to us. God is love, and this love is a way in which we should walk. God “loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (vv. 18b-19). One of God’s ways is to love sojourners, and we should walk in this way of God. Many sojourners are poor, lacking food and clothing. We need to love them and give them what they need. God is also holy, and His holiness is another way for our walk. Furthermore, God “does not regard persons and does not take bribes” (v. 17b), and we should take this as a way, not regarding persons and not receiving bribes. God also “executes justice for the orphan and the widow” (v. 18a), and we should walk in the way of His justice.
In Deuteronomy 10:12 Moses also charged the people to love God. This word love implies a great deal. For instance, it implies the matter of affection, which is something very tender. God Himself has set an example of loving by setting His affection on His people. Moses refers to this in verses 14 and 15. “Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to Jehovah your God, the earth and all that is in it. But on your fathers Jehovah set His affection to love them and to choose their seed after them, that is, you above all the peoples, as it is this day.” Now we should love God by setting our affection on Him.
In verse 12 Moses speaks of loving and serving God with all our heart and with all our soul. Our heart is linked to our spirit, for our conscience, which is of our spirit, is also a part of our heart. Thus, to love and serve God with all our heart and soul indicates that we love and serve Him also with our spirit. Furthermore, according to 6:5, we are to love Him also with all our might, that is, with our physical strength. Today, if we would serve God by practicing the new way, we need to serve with our spirit and with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. To visit people in order to get them saved and baptized and then to care for them afterward requires all our heart, soul, and strength. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, pp. 61-62)
Further Reading: Life-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 8