“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NLT

“For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.” Deuteronomy 7:6 NLT

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD you God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12 NLT

In the Old Testament, Moses reminded the people of God, the people of Israel that because of all that God had done for them, freeing them from slavery in Egypt and loving them with an everlasting love, that they should love the LORD. All our verses for today reminded the people of Israel and today all of us that God loves us and that all God wants is for us to love Him also.

In the New Testament, Jesus came to earth to save all who would believe in Him. When He was asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: “Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

God considers all of us who believe in Him and His Son, Jesus, that we are His children, His people. And all He asks of us is that we love Him and His Son, too. So, how do we show God and Jesus that we love Them?

First, we can say that we love God and Jesus. We can pray, talk to God and Jesus, like we talk to a friend.

We can thank God for all that He has done for us.

We can sing praises to God in church or anywhere.

We can obey God by doing things He would approve of, like being kind and helping others.

We can share what God and Jesus have done for us with others we know.

We can be thankful for what God has done for us and how He has helped us.

We can read and study His words for us in the Bible.

We can give God the glory for all the good things in our lives.

This week talk with your parents about all the ways you can show your love for God and Jesus. Take time together to love the LORD your God in as many ways as you can. Love Him because He created you and loves you and chose you to be His child!

Blessings and joy as you love and are loved by the LORD your God!