Lenten Devotions - Day 01: Ash Wednesday

“Listen, Israel! Yahweh our God is the only true God! So love Yahweh your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Today's text, the Shema is the emblematic summary of the commandments which the Hebrews pinned to their clothing and attached to the doorposts of their homes as visible reminders of the uniqueness of Yahweh, God of Israel, and their duty to honor and serve Yahweh alone. While we honor God as the only God and the only one worthy of our worship, our lives and allegiances are still too often divided.

We serve the gods of wealth, fame, prosperity, comfort, and tradition. We bow to the dictates of media messages, even as we decry and repudiate their influence upon the larger society in which we live. We still struggle to honor Yahweh, God of Israel, incarnate in Jesus Christ as the only authority in our lives. We pay homage to wealth, power, success, and the latest consumables heralded as worthy of our wealth, time, and attention.

Singing praises to the name of God, odes to the holiness of the One who has called us to a new life in an eternal relationship is good, noble, and right. Loving God as the only sovereign of our lives, however, is a far different thing. Love expressed in the proper words at the proper times is one thing. Love that is not also expressed in actions which underscore our words of praise is no love at all. How do our lives express a love for God?

I am reminded of a young man who wrote a love letter to his girlfriend: “I would climb the highest mountain, sail the deepest ocean, swim the widest river, and walk the driest dessert just to spend an hour with you! P.S. See you Saturday if it doesn't rain.” Unfortunately, the postscript belies the whole expression of love.

Are my actions expressive of my love for God, or only when loving God is convenient?

Find one way today to express your love for God, not in words alone, but in action.

“Lord, help me to understand what it means to love you and why you would love me despite my meager love for you.”

—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/

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