The Most Important Thing (YouVersion Daily Refresh)

When Jesus was asked by the religious leaders what the most important command was, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5. This verse contains one of the most important commands in all of Scripture.

The starting point for all of our lives is wrapped up in loving God. We were created to love God and have a relationship with Him. This relationship means that we were also made to be loved by God as well.

Amidst everything that you have to do in life, the most important thing is that you love God with everything that you are. If we become successful in life but do not love God, we’ve missed the most important thing.

God instructed the Israelites in Deuteronomy to constantly keep this command in their hearts and minds. They made physical reminders to help them remember to love God in everything they did. They taught this command to their children as the foundation of all other commands in Scripture.

Take some time to consider your life as well. Is loving God the primary motivation? Spend some time thinking about how good and merciful God has been in your life. Maybe create a physical reminder that you will see everyday to help focus your thoughts and heart on loving God.

Remember that God loves you more than you could ever imagine. The best motivation to love God is to constantly remember how much He loves us first.

My Thoughts

I grew up in a home in which I was not shown a lot of love, so when I found out that the God of the entire Universe loves me, specifically me, just the way He made me, I was overwhelmed. I remember that I cried, I praised, I cried more and then I sat silently and just soaked in all of that love that I had been missing.

The really good news is that God’s love is not fickle. It doesn’t depend on who I am or what I have done for Him. It just depends on His character. He is love and He desires to teach me how to love and be loved. I don’t have to get good grades, excel in all I do and shout to the heavens, “Hey, God, are you seeing this?” He sees me all the time and loves me just as I am.

In return for His devotion, God only wants me to love Him in the same way that He loves me, wholeheartedly and unashamedly. I can be quiet about my love for God or I can be loud. The way I love isn’t as important as the fact that I love Him with everything in me. I want to please Him, not because His displeasure would cause Him to withdraw from me, but because He shows me more every day how to love. The thing missing from my childhood has become the center of all of my adult life. I am loved, always and forever, by the God who accepts me just the way I am.