You ever got the impression that someone was just going through the motions. Like they weren’t even really feeling it?
I have. I watch some performances in films and some of them look to be really lethargic. I have seen some games of football where one or two of the players have put in a quite simply pathetic. There is a belief among some that in as much as the players might lose, that the least they could do is show some effort – give it their all.
That goes for some relationships that are meant to be close. Children know when their parents are being lacklustre and parents likewise have a good idea when their children are not putting in the full effort. Husbands and wives who know each other well get to spot when the other isn’t giving their all. The result of these less than stellar performances can range from disappointment to despair and worse.
Here’s the thing. If you’re not going to give it your all, why give anything at all. If it’s half-hearted then there’s no heart at all. It’s not that different with the command that God gives to love.
It is a command, because He knows what kind of love we would want to get away with. For all that He has done for His people, they are still prone to wander. Still capable of drifting into wanting other gods, wanting other trinkets to give their full attention. This kind of half-hearted devotion is no devotion at all. It shows nothing that’s worthy of all that has been done for us and it doesn’t reflect the loyalty that is reasonable to expect from someone who has taken you out of slavery, out of death, out of the pit of despair and out of hopelessness.
Plus the command is not given as a threat – it’s given as a good basis on which to truly discover what real life is all about. He didn’t leave this instruction on its own. There were some good guides to help with how to accomplish that …
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 