The answer might surprise you. The doer in you may reject it. Your flesh may insist it must take more than this one thing to please the Lord. But scripture makes it clear that this is the one thing God desires most from each of us.
Below I am sharing a few snippets from Gene Edwards’ book, The Divine Romance, that beautifully portray the one thing God desires from us most.
Let me set the scene for you.
Moses is sharing with the people that God has chosen them to enter the promised land, not because they deserved it or earned it, but because of God’s great love for them. Moses goes on to tell them the one thing God desires most from them and he tells them this:
“Love him
With all your might.
Love him
With all your mind.
Love him
With all your soul.
Love him
With all your being
Love him!”
(The Divine Romance, Pg. 52)
The one thing our great and wonderful God desires most from us is our love!
Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-38 that the greatest commandment of all is to LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
More than anything else that God desires from you, He desires your love!
It’s so simple, it almost seems too good to be true.
Maybe you, like me, have responded to God’s love like the people in the story go on to respond.
“Later that night, the words of Moses still ringing in ears and hearts, the people returned thoughtfully to their tents. And as they gathered in those dwellings, they share their hearts.” (The Divine Romance, pg.53)
Each family began to spell out all of the ways they would respond to what Moses had just told them. One family planned to serve, while another planned to give, and another planned to obey.
Meanwhile, God continued to dwell among them and hear their every word. His response was this…
“I did not require of you
your wealth nor coins of gold.
What need have I of these?
I did not ask of you
that you serve me.
Do I, the mighty one,
need to be waited upon?
Neither did I ask of you
your worship nor your prayers
nor even your obedience.”
He paused.
I have asked but this of you,
that you love me…
love me…
love me.”
(The Divine Romance, Pg. 55)
Yes, serving God, obeying Him, and giving of your treasures are all apart of Christian living, but more important than any of that; is that we LOVE the Lord our God with ALL of our heart, soul, and mind!
Unfortunately, we often talk and hear more about serving, giving, and obeying than we do about loving the Lord our God.
All of these things have their place, but they must come after our full-hearted love for our Savior. Without the love aspect, each of these things is void!
So how do we love the Lord our God?
He makes it so simple for us. We love because He first loved us! (1 John 4:19)
Jeremiah 31:3 tells us God draws each of us in with His love. He draws us closer and closer through His loving kindness. When we allow Him to overwhelm us with His love, it is impossible not love in return.
More than anything else that God desires from you, He desires your love. And the way we fall in love with Him is by embracing His love for us. It really is that simple!
XO,
Lauren
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Simple yet profound! Explained well. God bless!