Deuteronomy 30.11 states now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

God has given us everything we need for knowing Him and for doing what is pleasing in His sight. This ability is in itself a gift from God, a demonstration of His love and grace. What kind of God would He be if He left us confused or ignorant of Who He is or what He requires from us.

The Day of Accountability will be fair for all people for all people have been given the ability to know Him. While the Scriptures are not universally known God has commanded those who have them teach others what He has commanded us so that this gap will be filled.

Yet God makes clear that nature itself reveals His reality. In addition our conscience, a universal reality, is part of God’s original design for revealing Himself to us. These two truths make clear that God is and that God will hold accountable each person for their obedience to His will.

Those who have the Book, the Scriptures, can know personally and specifically this great Creator of nature and Whisperer to our conscience. And what God requires from us is not too difficult neither is it beyond our reach but it will require our submission.

God only requires that we love Him and love one another. This seems reasonable and the very thing a good and loving God would require from His creatures.

Yet we struggle.

Love for God is demonstrated by obedience to God and love for neighbor is demonstrated by acts of charity and compassion. These two things, obedience and compassion, require our submission to God and the subordinance of our selfish ends if we are to be successful. We cannot be self serving and God serving. We cannot be self serving and neighbor giving.

The cost to love God and love our neighbor will most often be at the expense of our own agenda, our own goals and our own wants.

The good Samaritan was on a business trip but he slowed down long enough to serve a person in need. While he continued his mission he was no doubt late and had less cash for himself for the trip perhaps causing him to stay in a lesser motel than he was accustomed.

In any event, God has given us the Holy Bible for knowing Him personally and doing what pleases Him.

Our enemy is our self: if we will love God and love our neighbor we must make time for them by first setting aside ourselves.