“天上地下惟有耶和华他是神，除他以外，再无别神。他的律例诫命…你要遵守，使你…可以得福…” - 申 4:39-40

“天上地下惟有耶和华祂是神”。这种描述在古老的时代是那么不寻常。其他国家几乎毫无例外，奉行掌管某种事务的神。拉是埃及的太阳神，巴力是迦南的风暴之神，等等。但耶和华是掌管天上地下万物的神。

事奉独立于天地而存在的那位神，是一种深深的宽慰。因为每当我们渴望属天或属地事物时，它们都无法满足我们最深的渴望。

圣奥古斯丁说：“一个人追求他得不到的东西，会遭受折磨；一个人获得他不想要的东西，是被欺骗；一个人不追求值得寻求的东西，是不健全。只有当人的核心利益既被喜爱又被拥有时，幸福感会出现”。换句话说，如果我们寻求不好的东西，我们就是自欺。如果我们寻求无法拥有的东西，我们就是折磨自己。如果我们不寻求值得追求的东西，我们就是病态的。只有寻求和找到独一的真神才能满足人心的渴望。这就是为什么“爱神胜过一切”的命令实在是幸福的关键。寻求最大的益处，并在神那里找到它，使我们从对其他并不值得、无法实现或低俗伪劣之事的贪爱中释放出来。

祷告

神啊，愿我们单单寻求你。所有其他的事物最终都会令人失望。求你引领我们找到你并在你里面得安息。奉耶稣的名，阿们。

申命记 4:32-40

32“你且考察在你以前的世代，自神造人在世以来，从天这边到天那边，曾有何民听见神在火中说话的声音，像你听见还能存活呢？
33这样的大事何曾有，何曾听见呢？
34神何曾从别的国中将一国的人民领出来，用试验、神迹、奇事、争战、大能的手和伸出来的膀臂并大可畏的事，像耶和华你们的神在埃及在你们眼前为你们所行的一切事呢？
35这是显给你看，要使你知道唯有耶和华他是神，除他以外，再无别神。
36他从天上使你听见他的声音，为要教训你，又在地上使你看见他的烈火，并且听见他从火中所说的话。
37因他爱你的列祖，所以拣选他们的后裔，用大能亲自领你出了埃及，
38要将比你强大的国民从你面前赶出，领你进去，将他们的地赐你为业，像今日一样。
39所以，今日你要知道，也要记在心上：天上地下唯有耶和华他是神，除他以外，再无别神。
40我今日将他的律例、诫命晓谕你，你要遵守，使你和你的子孙可以得福，并使你的日子在耶和华你神所赐的地上得以长久。”

Love Only The One Worthy Of Loving

"The LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands . . . so that it may go well with you. . . ." - Deuteronomy 4:39

“The LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” This description was unusual in such ancient times. Almost without exception, the gods of other nations were gods of something. Ra was the Egyptian god of the sun, Baal was the Canaanite god of the storm, and so on. But the Lord is God over all things in heaven and on earth.

It is a relief to serve the one God who exists independently of heaven and earth. For whenever we desire something that is a part of heaven or earth, it will disappoint our deepest longings.

St. Augustine said, “One who seeks what he cannot obtain suffers torture, and one who has got what is not desirable is cheated, and one who does not seek for what is worth seeking for is diseased. Happiness occurs only when man’s chief good is both loved and possessed.” In other words, if we seek bad things, we will cheat ourselves. If we seek what we cannot have, we will torture ourselves. If we do not seek out what is worth finding, we will be diseased. Only seeking and finding the one true God can satisfy the desire of the human heart. This is why the command to love God above all else is really the key to happiness. Seeking the greatest good and finding it in God frees us from the love of other things that are unworthy, unobtainable, or inferior.

Prayer

O God, may we seek only you. All other things will ultimately disappoint us. Lead us to find you and rest in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.