SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

“Charity rejoiceth in the truth”

THE LOVE TEST (I)

Christians are commanded to love the LORD their God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might (Deut 6:5). Christ called this “the first and great commandment” (Matt 22:38). A Christian’s love for God will be manifested in His obedience to the Holy Scriptures. Jesus taught this succinctly in John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” God at times may permit us to be subjected to testing so that we may know whether we truly love Him with all our heart. Do we have God’s Word first in our lives?

In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, when the children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses warned that God would allow false prophets to come into their midst, who would seek to tear them away from God and His Word. This is the test for the children of Israel: “for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

There would be two types of false prophets. The first type would be those whose word would not come to pass (Deut 18:22). The second type, however, is subtler. These false prophets would prophesy, and the signs and wonders would come to pass. Appealing to people’s experiences of the miracles, these false prophets would then attempt to draw them away from the LORD to worship and serve false gods.

If the signs and wonders do come to pass, how then can an Israelite know whether a prophet is true or false? The only way is to check what the prophet teaches against God’s Word. Herein is the test of love: if the children of Israel loved God, they would have to put their trust in God’s Word and not in their senses. The issue at hand is that of experience versus the Bible. When experience contradicts the Bible, the believer is to follow the Bible! Our love for God will lead us to His Word first of all.

THOUGHT: To love God is to love His Word.
PRAYER: Father, help me to love Thy Truth.