Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.(Deuteronomy 6:4-5)This is what is called the Shema in the Hebrew Bible. Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad. Here, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One. It is the heart of the Hebrew faith.
God mentions this in other places, especially in the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20:2-6, as the Lord speaks the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel before Moses has gone up into the mountain, God says:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.He makes it clear that he is it. There is no one else around.
For centuries, the Israelites tried to move God into the pantheon of gods. They would make him important in the line-up, or even chief god. But the Lord said no. I am all or you do not have me at all.
When I comes down to it, he was the only real God. Why in the world would he align himself with fake gods just in order to spread diversity. No, he said. I am God.
And what he wants is to be worshipped whole-heartedly.
Who want to be loved half-heartedly? Can you imagine asking your wife if she loves you, and she says, yeah, I guess. Most of the time anyway.
When we put God in a group of important things, no matter where he is on the list, he is minimized. He says, I am above all else, or I am not there.
God is not important in our lives. We do not set apart time for God and think about him often. Hebrews 12:29 says that Our God is a consuming fire. He does not enhance our lives. He consumes them.
If he is God, we are swallowed up into him and he is our very reason for existence.
You love him with all you have. And he already loves you.
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