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Love to God

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 15, 1870

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 35, No. 13.

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Love to God.

By JOS. CLARKE

“Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deut. 6: 4, 5.
The command to love God is repeated many times in the Bible. This duty is not enjoined as counsel, or advice, but is a strict command.
From this we may conclude that God deemed it of great importance that his creatures should love him. The reasons why we should love God are many; but one reason alone is sufficient to show that this command is necessary to man's salvation. It is this:
Obedience to God in keeping his law, to be complete and thorough in itself and thus acceptable to him, must spring from love to the Lawgiver. This may be proved from the fact, so well known to all, that forced obedience to any power is unpleasant to both sovereign and subject; while willing obedience is always acceptable to both parties.
We would do well to look to this thing; for unless we do love God, and that, too, with all our might, mind, and strength, the love of other things will creep in and eat out the heart of our religion, and we shall be left to the power of Satan.
People soon show where their affections are, let them take ever so much pains to conceal the facts from each other; but how much more readily does God notice the alienation of the soul from him, who justly claims the best and purest love of the heart. From this we infer, that the more we love God, the easier it will be to obey him; and the less we love him, the harder it will be to deny self and obey God.
Love! what will people not do for pure love? the mother will almost do miracles to nourish and defend her darling child; the father will die for his child, or will sacrifice himself for his family if he deems it necessary to save their lives. For love of country, many a hero has laid down his life; for love of country, he has endured famine, imprisonment and persecution, and perseveringly stood erect in the storm of battle and of war.
What sustained the martyrs? What gave them smiles and joy in the flames, and on the rack? Love to God. What can separate us from the love of God if we truly love him? Let us then love him more, a great deal more; for this is our safeguard, our defense.
Away, unholy love, love of the world, love of riches, love of fame, love of power! Away unholy passions,banish them all; for the love of God is sweeter than all; as much higher and holier, as Heaven is above the earth. Let us seek to him for this love.
JOS. CLARKE.