An old Indian chief constantly spoke of the Lord Jesus and what He meant to him. “Why do you talk so much about Jesus?” asked a friend. The old chief did not reply, but slowly, deliberately gathered some sticks and bits of grass, making a circle of them. In the circle he placed a caterpillar. Still silent, he struck a match and lit the sticks and grass. As the fire caught around the circle, the trapped caterpillar began to crawl around rapidly, seeking a way of escape.

As the fire advanced, the helpless caterpillar raised its head as high as it could. If the creature could have spoken, it might have said, “My help can only come from above.”

Then the old chief stooped down. He extended his finger to the caterpillar which crawled up his finger to safety.

“That,” said the chief glowingly, “was what the Lord Jesus did for me! I was lost in sin. My condition was hopeless. I was trapped. Then the Lord Jesus stooped down, and in love and mercy drew me out to safety. How can I help but love Him and talk of His wondrous love and care?”

Moses’ call to love God is but a call to respond to God’s love. He loved first. John said it well: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10).

Though we love God with heart, soul and might, our love will still fall short of His great love for us. He deserves complete devotion with deepest emotion.

How much do you really love your Lord?