New Years 2024 Saying Yes to God: A Year of Wholehearted Love and Devotion
Intro
The question assumes a distinction among the various commands found in God’s law. Later rabbinic tradition gave the total number of commandments as 613, of which 248 were positive commands and 365 prohibitions. Some were considered to be lighter (smaller) and some weightier (greater).
“What is the fundamental premise of the law on which all the individual commands depend?”
Shema is the Hebrew imperative “to hear.”
The Shema summarizes the heart of God’s covenant with His people. Yahweh alone is Lord, and covenantal faithfulness to Him involves every part of one’s being: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”
Jesus adds the phrase “and with all your mind” to the list of how one should love God
believers should not hold anything back from devotion to the Lord God as ruler of their lives.
Love is our inner commitment to God that is expressed in all our conduct and relationships. Those who do not show love to others can hardly claim to love God