Crazy Love - Deuteronomy 6

The chorus of "The Motions" by Matthew West have been in my head this week:

"I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

Take a listen or view the song lyrics - it's a beautiful song.

I mentioned before that we've been studying from a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan in the Bible study at my church (World Outreach Christian Church). Francis lays out, in this week's chapter, a profile of what he calls "the obsessed" and one characteristic is a person with "committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being." This fits well with Deuteronomy 6 which gives us the commandment:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up." (v. 5-7)

In light of the song that's been in my head, Chan's 'obsessed' description and this scripture verse...let's just say I see room for growth. One example would be that 'when I lied down and when I rose up' this morning, I was thinking about the Cav's game and how LeBron almost made that shot. Another is how a mysterious sleepiness overtakes me when I attempt Bible study. I don't get sleepy doing any of the 10 things I'd rather be doing. And I know it's possible to get there - to actually desire God and be excited about meeting with Him every morning and being renewed each day by His Spirit and walking with Him every moment. I want to be like the man the psalmist talks about - "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97). I want that!!!

Getting to that place requires sacrifice. The things that we cling to here on earth...I'm finding that if we're not willing to let them go, and we desire them more than God, its time to let them go. The first commandment clues us in on this point. Getting to the place where we have passionate love for God isn't going to be easy, but I think it would please God. This type of love isn't reserved for radical, Super-Christians either. It's the least we could do for a God who loves us so much. I felt it this morning when I went to the pantry and actually couldn't find the tea I was looking for because there was so much other food in the way! In the midst of all the blessings I enjoy everyday, this one stuck out. God loves me so much. Just take a look around, He loves you so much too.

My meditation for the day comes from West's song: What if I give everything? What's holding me back? What will that look like?