What Does God Require of Us? Fear & Obey, Love & Serve

Deuteronomy 10

Because of Who He Is – Deuteronomy 10:12-22

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. He set His heart on their fathers and chose their family above all other people on earth. But He required something of them in return and He requires the same of us today. Fear Him, walk in His ways, obey His commands, uncover your hearts and be open to Him which will enable you to love and serve Him with your whole heart and soul. So, what does that look like?

Fear the Lord, Walk in His Ways, & Obey – Psalm 90:7-17

To fear the Lord, means to know of His power. Anger towards those that reject Him is part of His character. Likewise, goodness towards those that seek Him is part of His character. Ezra 8:22b

We should be fearful to rebel against Him because of who He is, the Almighty God, our Father and Lord. He created us so we belong to Him. This establishes Him as our Lord, the One who is in charge of us. In an earthly sense, we understand the role between fathers and their children and why it exists. Our fathers created us and we belong to them. Therefore, they are in charge of their children and we obey. Proverbs 23:22

They have power over us, so we have a certain amount of fear in disobeying them. They also love and care for us and show us compassion and mercy. In return, we love them and want to please them. We are created in their image and as we grow, we become more like them. We take on their physical traits, but also their ways of thinking, talking, and acting. As their children, we imitate them. They are our examples and we learn from them.

So, just as our earthly fathers created us & have power over us, so does our Heavenly Father. Therefore, we fear and obey our Lord. Hebrews 12:5-11

Likewise, as they love and care for us, showing compassion and mercy, so does our Father in Heaven. So, we love our Creator and desire to please Him. We learn from our Father and walk in His ways. Isaiah 64:8; Ephesians 5:1

Circumcise Your Heart - Psalm 81:12-13

The command to circumcise all the males was given to Abraham as an outward symbol of his faith and devotion, and it set them apart as belonging to God. But the physical act of cutting away the covering skin had a symbolic purpose as well. God calls on His people to cut away anything covering our hearts, preventing God from getting in. God wants us to be sensitive to His calling and instructions. When He speaks, we need to be open to what He is saying. Stubbornness and resistance will prevent us from obeying, loving, and serving Him. But when we open our hearts to Him, our love and service pours out.

Love & Serve Him – Psalm 34:8

To know God, is to love Him and to love Him, is to serve Him. To love anyone, you must know them. Unlike with people, in getting to know God, you will only find more and more reasons to love Him and no reasons not to. So, your love will grow. Once you love Him, you’ll automatically desire to serve Him. We want to please those we love, so we try to do things they like and not do things they do not like.