Communion with God is our delight
O God,
Of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are enough for me. I can ask for nothing less that is completely to your honor, and if I do ask anything less, I shall always be in want. Only in you I have all. Amen.
(Julian of Norwich)
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NKJV
What does the LORD your God require of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and His decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own good.
John 14:21 (J. B. Phillips)
Every man who knows my commandments and obeys them is the man who really loves me, and every man who really loves me will himself be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and make myself known to him.
Matthew Henry
The surest evidence of our love to Christ is obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience. Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit’s new-creating grace.[1]
Paul R. Gilchrist
The basic requirements for covenant relationship between the great King and his people . . . are expressed in a series of five infinitives: to fear the Lord, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord, and to observe the Lord’s commands (vv. 12–13). In a chiastic scheme, the emphasis falls on the middle element, to love him. Love is the epoxy that bonds the covenant relationship between Yahweh and his people.[2]
Warren Wiersbe
Is it possible both to fear and love the Lord at the same time? Yes, it is, for the reverence we show Him is a loving respect that comes from the heart. Moses . . . made it clear that God wants more than external obedience. He wants us to do the will of God from the heart, a loving obedience that brings joy to our Father in heaven. Love is the fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:10), so if we love God, serving Him and keeping His commandments will not be a burden or a battle.[3]
A Prayer of Richard of Chichester
Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me, and all the benefits thou hast given me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friends, and Brother: Grant that I may see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.
I Love the Lord
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Jn 14:18.
[2] Paul R. Gilchrist, “Deuteronomy,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 118.
[3] The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 2, Old Testament Genesis through Deuteronomy, p. 400.
