READ
I'm instructed to read this passage out loud, standing in a posture of respect. At first, this seems odd, but we do this en masse at church frequently, so why not do it at home in a private setting?
I want to quote a portion of this passage from The Message.
Attention, Israel!
GOD, our God! GOD the one and only!
Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
THINK
This passage was very important in Jewish life. It is referred to as the Shema, which is a Jewish word for "to listen" or "to hear." During the time of Jesus, all good Jews would recite this before they went to bed and first thing after waking up. To this day, Jews in Israel can be seen with the little boxes called phylacteries tied to their arms and foreheads. These boxes contain Scriptures.
The question is asked, "How seriously do you take the words of God?"
It's ironic. If I compare myself to the Jews, I apparently don't take the words of God very seriously at all. However, they appear to take the words of God seriously, but don't really believe them, else they would have believed in Jesus. I don't carry them around strapped to my forehead or wrist, but I believe in God's Son. So who really takes the words more seriously?
I try to read the words of God every day. More and more, I try to make them a constant part of my life. I'm inspired by young people, like fan4 who is constantly quoting Scriptures that she reads in her diary. This always inspires me to read more, study more, learn more.
There is so much more to learn about God. Infinitely, actually.
PRAY
I'm asked to slowly and reverently pray the words quoted above. Go ahead...repeat those words over and over, letting them sink in.
GOD, our God! GOD the one and only! Love GOD, your God with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
LIVE
Memorize those words. Pray them as often as you remember them.
"...love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!"
God Bless!