The Shema :: Loving the Lord with my ALL

Each morning here in Israel begins bright and early as we all head to breakfast. And breakfast here is a grand affair! No matter what the location, the spread always excites my hungry belly. Laid out for us are the beautiful foods of honey from the honeycomb, yogurt, and dates, fresh vegetables, fruits, breads and eggs. How can food be so beautiful?! But we only have limited time to snarf it all down in order to not be late for the day!

We quick run to the restrooms (where the ladies always have a line!) and then come together in a big circle to take in the morning’s devotion. This time has been one of my favorites during this trip. The devotion is shared by Libby, Dan or Rod and are often stories that communicate a challenge to our hearts for the day.

Today’s devotion challenged us to love the Lord with our ALL.

It went something like this;

There once was a beggar who’s life became grim. He had lost everything, lost family and friends and belonged to the lowest cast system in his culture. His only feasible livelihood became begging at the gate of the city. So he sat each day, with his plastic cup extended in front of him, hoping that by day’s end, he would have enough rice in his cup to be his one and only meal for the day.

One day, word in the village spread that the King of the land was going to visit their little village. The beggar was beyond excited, maybe this would be his one opportunity of life change, a life of not having to beg to survive. And so he awaited eagerly at his spot at the gate.

And sure enough, the King came to visit the small village, with his whole entourage of elephants, dancers, and singers. As they approached the entrance to the village, the elephant the King was riding came to a stop, directly in front of the beggar. The elephant knelt down and the King himself dismounted the animal and approached the beggar, the beggar’s elation barely containable. The king came to the beggar, greeted him and asked; “Would you be willing to give me what is in your cup?”. The beggar’s heart sank, he can’t believe what he just heard. “You want what rice is in my cup?” He looks down at his dinner for the day, the disappointment and sadness now replacing his hope. “Well…”, he swallows hard, “It’s all that I have, but I could give you half of what is in my cup.” He hands the cup over to the king who takes it and hands it to his servant to pour out into another cup for the King. He then gives the cup back to the beggar and mounts his elephant to continue into the village.

The beggar holds the cup in his hands and can barely look down at what remained. The hopelessness he felt was deep. But as he looked into his cup, his eyes grew wide. What the king took in rice, he replaced with gold nuggets!!

And it was in that moment that the beggar wished with regret, “If only I would have given him all that I had, instead of holding back.”

And the penny drops, from head to heart. I am reminded that I am just like that beggar. All I have to offer to my King and Savior is my weakness, my dependency, my brokenness.

And this trip has revealed to me day after day, I am weak in my own strength and abilities. I need a Savior and He is worthy of my all. This hopeful story of redemption and rescuing, it’s really real, and it’s really true! It’s been unfolding since the beginning of time and is coming more alive in my heart as I walk the places of the Old Testament and walk the places that Jesus walked. I am learning more about His heart and His living word.

And what is God’s heart? It’s is for the least, the little, the small, the humble. The Israelites, they were the least in the world. They were the weak. They were the small. There was nothing special or strong or successful about them! Yet God chose them and loved them and used them in spite of their hard heartedness or rejection at times and offered covenant love to His people.

And Jesus, our King, was sent by God to be the very representation of this love in the flesh. He absorbed for us the very sin that has distanced us from the Father. Jesus is our perfect High Priest who has taken on the sins of people because He loved and obeyed the Father and with joy, endured suffering for our sake! How can my heart not be moved by this love? How can my life’s response not be to love with all that I have within me?

And yet the amazingly beautiful thing is, God knows my love for him won’t be perfect and He loves me anyway. How can He do that? Well, I have a King, His name is Jesus. He saw my need and my brokenness, and stood in the gap for me. This is the gospel; Jesus lived for me the way I can’t live. Jesus died the death for me that I was meant to die. And Jesus stood and still stands in the gap for me, for us. His word says that He intercedes on our behalf! What a King and what a Savior.

And so the question remains, what holds me back from offering to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords my all, my wholehearted all?

And daily, each morning and evening, all 59 of us fellow beggars, cry out to our merciful King and Savior together;

Shema Israel

Adonai Elohenu,

Adonai Echad…

Hear, O Israel:

The LORD is our God

The LORD Alone!

Love the LORD your God,

With ALL your heart,

And with ALL your soul,

And with ALL you might (muchness)

And love your neighbor as yourself.

Amen

- Lauren Mlaker