09
To Love Is To Serve
John DangananAnd if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul - Deuteronomy 11:13
One cannot love without serving. The inseparable union between love and service is a marriage that cannot be divorced in our relationships. God’s primary instruction of love, obedience and service to Israel as they were about to cross into the Promised Land stands true today. Just as we are to love the LORD our God with all our heart and all our soul, we are also to serve him with all our hearts and all our souls.
I cannot love God without serving him. I confess I have been lackadaisical in my effort to love and serve him. I have slacked off in my exercise. How can I love the Lord with all my heart and soul if I am lethargic and lack the energy to do so? I need to ratchet back to the basics of doing daily exercise, devotions, worship and prayer. Love God and serve him in my primary ministry of loving and serving Renee—do so with all my heart and soul. Put my heart into making sure that I communicate to her in her love language of words of affirmation and affection. Serve my family with all my might. Don’t feel entitled to be served but to serve my kids. Jump on the trampoline with them even though it’s the last thing I want to do. Watch them play video games simply because they take pleasure in their dad watching them do something they enjoy. Go back to the discipline of following up every Tuesday, studying at least 15 hours a week for a sermon, and showing hospitality by having people over for dinner.
