Dave's Diary

Throughout this year of studying the many commands and instructions of Jesus our Lord, His words in Mark 12:30 will need to echo through our hearts and minds regularly. Here He named the first and most important commandment as this:

‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

Time and again throughout this year, we will see examples of how we are to love the Lord. But this week, we’re setting aside time to think about some of the reasons why we owe the Lord our God such a debt of love. It seems logical to start this quest at the very beginning.

Prayer before Reading:

Join the Psalmist in this simple prayer before you read, “LORD, open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word.” (Psalm 119:18)

Now spend a moment quietly getting focussed on the Lord’s presence before you read.

Daily Readings:

Genesis 2:4-7, 18-25 and Psalm 139:13-18

I believe the first answer to the question, “Why should I love God?” is this: Love God because you owe Him your life. Not only did God create humanity in general in the magnificent way He did, fashioning us from the “dust of the ground” and breathing life into us all; God also shaped, fashioned and formed you in your mother’s womb. He created you fearfully and wonderfully as an expression of His love.

Your very existence is a gift from the God who loves you. Were it not for the loving will of the Lord, you would not be here and you would not be you. The psalmist expressed deep truth very beautifully when he wrote, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it … How precious are your thoughts about me.” (Ps. 139:14 & 17)

Contemplation:

Please take time to ponder this deep and beautiful truth. Repeat this to yourself. Turn one or more of these statements over and over in your mind:

• God loved me before He created me.
• My life is His gift of love to me.
• His love moved Him to make me.
• I am uniquely created by God as an act of His creative love.

This truth should make us profoundly secure in God’s love, because His love is not first based on who we are, but on who He is – our loving Creator. Allow that to sink in, and then respond by loving God today. It’s surely the only proper response!