There are lots of requirements or expectations put on us by others. When in school, there are required tests to take. When in the work force, there are required tasks to manage. When going to the DMV, there are required forms to provide. When making a large purchase, there are required conditions to meet. Salvation of the soul is no different, and, unlike in some other areas, the requirements are given beforehand, loud and clear. Although there is much required of every soul seeking salvation, the Lord provided a summary: “"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
What does the Lord require of you? Well, first of all, God requires you to fear Him. The Lord created the Heavens and the Earth in 7 days, and in less than one day He’s going to destroy the Heavens and the Earth, save for Heaven His abode and Hellfire below. That is frighteningly powerful. In fact, the destruction of the Universe is so frightening that it motivates the true believer to evangelize. Paul wrote, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11a). The Hebrews Writer gave this foreboding warning: “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). Yes, most certainly, we ought to have a reverential fear of God —that is, a deep respect to the point of awe, but we also should have a level of terror about us, knowing what terror will be unleashed upon the lost on the last day.
What does the Lord require of you? Well, second of all, He expects you to walk in all His ways. Not some of His ways. Not in the ways that you and He agree. But in all of His ways. To walk in His ways means that we put His ways into practice. James really hit home this concept of putting faith into practice: “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20). God expects us to talk the talk, sharing the good news of salvation to a lost and dying world, but He equally expects us to walk the walk, putting the message of christianity into practice in our own lives.
What does the Lord require of you? Well, third of all, He wants Him to love Him. John wrote, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). You don’t have to worry about getting into a standoff with God. God has already extended His love to you, to me, and to everyone. Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God sighed over Israel, saying, “As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths. The LORD stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people” (Isaiah 3:12-13). How long will you let the Lord stand, pleading with you and sighing over you? Love Him! He already loves you, even though as a sinner you’re not that easy to love!
What does the Lord require of you? Well, fourth of all, He wants you to serve Him with all your heart and soul. Lacking here is the brain and the brawn, the mind and the body, with which God also wants you to serve Him (Mark 12:30). The Lord emphasizes here though the heart and soul, that is, the emotional sides of man. God does not want you to pay Him lip-service with your body even while your heart is far from Him, nor does He want you to learn about Him with your mind while keeping your soul far from Him. God wants our all, but here emphasized is your heart and soul, which are oh so often withheld.
What does the Lord require of you? Well, fifth of all, He wants you to keep His commandments. His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). His commandments are for our good! By His commandments we are made whole inside (Ecclesiastes 12:13). By keeping His commandments we know that we know Him, and by extension know that we are saved (1 John 2:3). What does the Lord require of you? Not much, all things considered.
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