“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today. ~ Deuteronomy 7:6-11
Just as the Lord loved His people Israel, today He loves His people—the Church. He called us to Him, not because of anything we have done, but because of His great love and His grace. He is faithful, even when we aren’t. He keeps His promises, even when we don’t. We are to obey His commands—love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and souls and love our neighbors as ourselves. If we love Him and others, we will be more like Him and keep His commands.
Lord God, thank You for loving me with a love beyond comprehension. I can trust You completely in every aspect of my life. All You ask of me is to love You and love others. If I do that, I will keep Your commandments. I want to love You above all, and I want to love my neighbor as myself. But I cannot do either without the Holy Spirit empowering me. Thank You that You give me the help to do what You command. Help me to always follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and love You and those around me. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.