Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Deuteronomy 6:4-9
by: Dale Rood.
Verse 4 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture. When Jesus was asked what the first (great) commandment was, He quoted verses 4 and 5 (Mark 12:28-30). Love for God is to come from the heart, is to be the most important thing we teach to our children, and is to completely fill our daily activity. However, love for God cannot be legislated. This is why just a command to love is not enough. God's entrance into the world in the person of Jesus Christ with his subsequent death for our sins opened the channels for real heartfelt love.