WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF THEE?
WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF THEE?
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His way, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
The verse above tells us what the Lord requires of us or expects from us as Christians and as His children (Israel). These are the things God expects from us:
- To fear the Lord thy God
- To walk in His ways
- To love Him
- To serve the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul
Fear the Lord thy God
The Oxford English Dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger or pain etc.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and Keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man (KJV)
The Good News translation of the verse above, replaces “Fear God” with “Have reverence or respect for God”
Understand that God is a loving Father who loves us all deeply but He will not hesitate to punish or correct us (chasten us) when we go wrong.
Hebrews 12:6-7
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chasten, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? Do not see God as a tyrant but respect Him deeply.
To walk in all His ways
The ways of the Lord or the things that please God are listed in detail in the bible. Some of them are
- The ten commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-21)
- The way to love and worship God can be found in the Psalms like Psalm 100, 149, 150 etc.
- The way to pray (The Lord’s Prayer) found in Matthew 6:9-13
- God’s teaching on love. 1 Corinthians 13
We must learn to obey or follow these teachings praying for grace and strength each day.
To Love Him
Mark 12:30-31
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” There is no other commandment greater than these.
According to the passage above, God wants us to love Him with everything we have. Surrender our will, dreams and imaginations to Him.
To Serve The Lord with all our heart and with all our soul
How do you serve the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul? The bible says in Psalm 100:1-5
Serve the Lord with a gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His court with praise.
The passage above gives detail on how we can serve God with all our heart and soul and with gladness. We should
- Come before His presence with singing
- Believe and accept that He is God
- Believe and accept He is our creator
- Praise and thank continually.
In addition to this Matthew 28:19-20 gives us the “Great Commission” an assignment every Christian and believer in Christ should do.
Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Christians are to spread the gospel and win souls for the kingdom of God. We are given the assurance that God is with us until the end of tome. He will ensure that we have all we need to complete the assignment.
We need not fear, we only have to trust Him and take a step of faith to fulfill the assignment.
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