Read: Psalm 103:1; Deuteronomy 6:4-9
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut. 6:5)
Jesus cited Deuteronomy 6:5 when he was asked which of the commandments was greatest (see Matt. 22:37). In Luke 10:27 Jesus affirms that we should love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind; in other words, with pretty much everything we have. The same applies to the way we worship.
That’s exactly how the psalmist feels. He wants to worship God with everything he has. Jesus, referencing a passage from Isaiah, leveled this devastating criticism of the scribes and Pharisees: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me” (Matt. 15:8-9). Worship that is just going through the motions isn’t worship at all. Worship that employs our mouths but leaves our hearts and souls unengaged is like faith that is present on Sundays but AWOL during the week.
We sometimes say of those who make a supreme effort in a game or contest or performance that they “gave it their all.” Nothing held back, no energy unexpended, no lapses in concentration, no coasting or pretend effort. If I’m honest, I have to confess that I don’t always give God my all. During worship services my mind can wander, my soul can remain cold.
What to do? Well, for starters, send yourself a daily reminder: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Ps. 103:1).
As you pray, bless God’s holy name.
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including God of My Days,Why Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
