TRACT 09 -- You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37)
People run to and fro in their life, laboring to put bread on the table by the sweat of their faces (Genesis 3:19). They reproduce and search for joy and peace. Yet they do not care about God; He is not part of their daily schedule.
Some individuals fear the Almighty Creator. They are sorry for their bad deeds, frightened of the wrath of the Holy One, and scared of the Day of Judgment. They pray, fast, give alms, go on pilgrimage and fight for the sake of Allah to satisfy Him. They have not yet recognized that their good deeds are not sufficient to deliver them from hell. Even the demons believe in the oneness of God and tremble (James 2:19).
A small number of searchers of truth appear like the sunflower, which slowly twists around to face the sun from morning till night, to absorb its rays and grow up to ripen and bear much “fruit”. Whoever turns toward his Lord without delay, absorbs the rays of His love and gathers spiritual energy from Him, will bear eternal fruit.
What type of person are you? How many minutes a day do you think of your Lord and really serve Him? Remember what was written about divine love:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)
The most important commandment in the Old Testament is to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. We should examine ourselves: Do we love God indeed? Do we love him with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength?
He who meditates on this commandment and is honest, will humble himself and be broken, for he will realize that he falls short of the love for the LORD, and must confess, “I do not love him with all my heart, soul, and strength! My mind and compassion do not dwell completely in the LORD. My heart does not beat for God only, my subconscious is not filled with the love of God and my inside is not directed toward the Creator alone. I do love the Almighty Holy One but I have not loved Him with all my being, for I waste much time, strength and money on perishable things of this world.”
The Almighty waits for us to repent and confess with tears and reverence that we, ourselves, are actually the idols we worship, for we love ourselves with all our hearts and with all our might. We do not love our Lord fully, from whom all blessings come. This is our original sin.
We deserve God’s wrath. Our punishment should be death and hell, for the LORD is not the first and the last in our lives. If we do not repent sincerely, we will go astray now and forever.
The Creator understands us and knows that we are sinners. In spite of this reality, He loves us and has not forsaken us, for He sent the Son of Mary to show us the true love to God and men. Christ has lived the most important commandment with perfection and sincerity. He prayed and taught His followers the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
Christ did not honor Himself, but glorified His spiritual Father in heaven and confessed, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
In so doing, Christ testified to His true and perfect love for God. The Son of Mary, was neither a Sufi nor an ascetic, for His love to God was realized and made effective through His love of all men. He visited cities and towns on foot, declared God’s fatherhood to everybody, offered healing to the sick, delivered the demon-possessed from unclean spirits, raised the dead, took away the sin of the world and provided atonement for all nations, reconciling them to God. Christ cleanses us from all sin by His unique atonement. He bore God’s judgment as a substitute for us, so that whoever believes and commits himself to Him shall have eternal life. God’s love became incarnate in Christ. He wants to change us into His mercy that we shall become merciful like the Merciful God.
Having justified His followers from their sins, Christ pours out His Holy Spirit on those who pray and wait for the power of His grace. This good Spirit is God’s love itself, as the apostle Paul wrote, “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5).
This Spirit gives us divine guidance and light so that we can love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength, and serve Him with joy and gladness. This Spirit guides us to live as Christ lived and to pray to Him for others. God did not command us to follow inapplicable commandments; He gives us the guidance and power to live a life pleasing to Him.
Dear reader,
memorize all verses that are printed bold, for they are from the Holy Bible. You can receive from them the power to love God with all your heart and mind. Pray to God that He may pour out the Spirit of His love into your heart.
Would you like to read more about God’s commandments and promises?
We are prepared, upon request, to send you the Gospel of Christ with meditations and prayers. You will find in it more than five hundred divine commandments and, if you desire the help of God’s Spirit, He will give you the spiritual power to observe them.
Encourage your friends to love God and men.
Offer the good news about the love of God to your neighbors and friends by giving them this leaflet. We shall be glad to send you a limited number of copies, freely, if you tell us how many you can actually distribute.
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