Remove the Distractions Preventing Your Heart from Proper Love of God

“¹⁶Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” – Deuteronomy 10:16 (ESV)

I spent some time working to reconcile the passage of study this morning. I was led to the passage through verse 12 that again reiterates the need to love and serve the LORD with all your heart and soul. But as is common with God and His plan for me, I was struck by other verses within the passage.

Verse 16 above is speaking of removing that which causes difficulty in getting to the right that is there. In the commentary of my ESV Bible it says, “Here, circumcision symbolizes removing the stubbornness that prevents the heart from properly loving God (cf Ex. 6:12, where ‘uncircumcised lips’ do not speak week; Jer. 6:10, where ‘uncircumcised ears’ do not hear clearly).” We have too much in our lives that get in the way of us just loving God.

I know that there are things that I struggle with daily that prevent me from devoting myself to God. One of the biggest is my cell phone. That thing is such a time suck and filled will useless and distracting items. There is the world wide web of searches. There is social media. There is the pictures that have been taken and the regret that comes with missing a photo. There is the endless apps to keep us from truly experiencing. I get caught in a moment of break from work each day, checking my phone for updates that I “need” to know.

Removing the distracting thing would help so much in my relationship with the LORD. Instead of the phone distraction, reading God’s Word. Instead of watching television, praying to the LORD. Instead of working in the garage, sitting and reflecting all that God has provided. The thing is to remove that which makes it more challenging and in a lot of cases impossible to properly love God with all my heart, soul, and mind.

What are the things in your life making it harder to love God? Are you telling yourself that you can manage them all just fine? What if you were to consciously remove the distracting stubborn things that are getting in the way of you properly loving God?