Obedience and the Danger of Complacency
Obedience and the Danger of Complacency.
Deut. 6-10
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 are foundational verses. Just as John 3:16 captures the motivation and purpose of Christ’s redemptive work, verses 4-5 set forth the heart of the covenant and our response to God. In verse 4, we find the essence of God captured in a simple statement, “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” Not only does this describe the essential unity within the Trinity, but it also shows that there is only one God who reigns over the universe. The noun “one” points to the uniqueness and solidarity of God. He stands alone and is unequaled and unrivaled. In a world that embraced polytheism, God makes it clear that He is the only God, and no one rivals Him or is equal to Him. Because He is the only true God, all other gods are empty and devoid of substance. This is a theme that is woven throughout every page of Scripture. There is only one God and only one way to Him. Any other religion is a fabrication of sinful humans in their attempt to usurp God’s sovereign control over our lives.
Because He alone is God, we are to love and obey Him. While verse 4 captures the essence of God, verse 5 captures the essence of our response to Him. We are to love Him with every ounce of our being. We find that this love encompasses the heart, soul, and strength to emphasize the essence of this complete love and commitment to God. The heart in the Old Testament is the seat of the intellect. It refers to the mind or the rational part of people. The soul refers to our invisible nature, to our will and sensibilities. The term strength encompasses our physical nature with all its functions and capacities. In other words, we are to love God in the totality of who we are and in all we do.
Even as God calls us to love and obey Him in every aspect of our being, He also gives a warning, for He knows the sinfulness of our hearts. While we naturally cry out to God for deliverance in times of trials and adversity, the danger is that we become complacent when we enjoy prosperity and ease. In this passage, God warns people of the danger of spiritual forgetfulness. The greatest threat to our spiritual vitality is not the onslaught of adversity but the enjoyment of prosperity. In 6:11-12 and 8:11-14, 17-19, 9:4-5, God warns the people of the danger of becoming complacent in their faith. When life is going well, and we enjoy prosperity, we take pride in our accomplishments. Instead of giving God the glory and trusting Him, we begin to trust in our abilities, strength, and wisdom. Instead of surrendering to God’s commandments and purpose for our life, we pursue our own desires. Adversity breaks our pride and makes us humbly seek God. Prosperity leads us to complacency as we no longer see a need for God. Instead of loving God with all our heart, mind, and strength, we rely on our own wisdom and strength. It is not that we deny God; we simply no longer see a need for Him. Instead of having Him as the object of our affection, we ignore Him and live independently of Him. Spiritual vitality comes when we learn to trust Him in times of adversity and surrender to Him in times of prosperity. Has God become secondary in your life, or is He still primary? Are you loving Him with the totality of your being, or is He an afterthought, only to seek when adversity strikes?
Deut. 6-10
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 are foundational verses. Just as John 3:16 captures the motivation and purpose of Christ’s redemptive work, verses 4-5 set forth the heart of the covenant and our response to God. In verse 4, we find the essence of God captured in a simple statement, “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” Not only does this describe the essential unity within the Trinity, but it also shows that there is only one God who reigns over the universe. The noun “one” points to the uniqueness and solidarity of God. He stands alone and is unequaled and unrivaled. In a world that embraced polytheism, God makes it clear that He is the only God, and no one rivals Him or is equal to Him. Because He is the only true God, all other gods are empty and devoid of substance. This is a theme that is woven throughout every page of Scripture. There is only one God and only one way to Him. Any other religion is a fabrication of sinful humans in their attempt to usurp God’s sovereign control over our lives.
Because He alone is God, we are to love and obey Him. While verse 4 captures the essence of God, verse 5 captures the essence of our response to Him. We are to love Him with every ounce of our being. We find that this love encompasses the heart, soul, and strength to emphasize the essence of this complete love and commitment to God. The heart in the Old Testament is the seat of the intellect. It refers to the mind or the rational part of people. The soul refers to our invisible nature, to our will and sensibilities. The term strength encompasses our physical nature with all its functions and capacities. In other words, we are to love God in the totality of who we are and in all we do.
Even as God calls us to love and obey Him in every aspect of our being, He also gives a warning, for He knows the sinfulness of our hearts. While we naturally cry out to God for deliverance in times of trials and adversity, the danger is that we become complacent when we enjoy prosperity and ease. In this passage, God warns people of the danger of spiritual forgetfulness. The greatest threat to our spiritual vitality is not the onslaught of adversity but the enjoyment of prosperity. In 6:11-12 and 8:11-14, 17-19, 9:4-5, God warns the people of the danger of becoming complacent in their faith. When life is going well, and we enjoy prosperity, we take pride in our accomplishments. Instead of giving God the glory and trusting Him, we begin to trust in our abilities, strength, and wisdom. Instead of surrendering to God’s commandments and purpose for our life, we pursue our own desires. Adversity breaks our pride and makes us humbly seek God. Prosperity leads us to complacency as we no longer see a need for God. Instead of loving God with all our heart, mind, and strength, we rely on our own wisdom and strength. It is not that we deny God; we simply no longer see a need for Him. Instead of having Him as the object of our affection, we ignore Him and live independently of Him. Spiritual vitality comes when we learn to trust Him in times of adversity and surrender to Him in times of prosperity. Has God become secondary in your life, or is He still primary? Are you loving Him with the totality of your being, or is He an afterthought, only to seek when adversity strikes?
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