“For if you carefully observe every one of these commands I am giving you to follow…” (Deuet 11:22)
If you just read that sentence, you might be overwhelmed. Every one of these commands? There are 613. Not that they’re hard to follow in some senses and in other senses impossible to follow, but look at this beautiful summation and the second part of this sentence:
“For if you carefully observe every one of these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, walk in all His ways, and remain faithful to Him…” (11:22)
This is the summation of all that the Lord is imparting to Moses. This is what God asks of us:
- To love the Lord our God
- To walk in His ways
- To remain faithful to Him
It’s actually something that has been said just in a previous chapter in 10:12:
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul?”
- Fear the LORD your God by walking in His ways
- To love Him
- And to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul
Very much the same. Although perhaps because it was nuanced different, the “worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul” struck me in a unique way. What does it mean to worship Him with all my heart and soul? We’ve already talking about loving Him and walking in His ways, but worship. Then it goes on in 10:21 to say this:
“He is your praise…”
It’s not hard to be engaged in worship more fully when it’s Sunday or I’m in a large group that is worshiping corporately, but what about in my own personal worship times? Oftentimes I play piano or guitar, but it’s often that I’m distracted.
And what about worshiping him throughout the day? With thanksgiving and praise in my heart and on my lips? And to do so “with all my heart and all my soul?”
This is an invitation from the Lord. A call if you will. When you worship me, go for it with all your heart and soul. And when you think of me, thank and praise me with all your heart and soul.
Fear Him. Walk in His ways. And worship Him with all that you have.
Like in Ps 103:1, “with all that is in me, praise the Lord.”
Perhaps the Lord wants to add more life and joy and exuberance to my worship.