Loving the Lord our God is the first and foremost commandment, we all know. Here Joshua is insisting the people of Israel to do just that. 

Just the fact that we need to be very careful to love the Lord, implies that it takes a conscious effort and that it is not our default mindset. What then is our default mindset, you may ask. Not surprisingly it is the love of our self. 

This is only possible when we can recognize the leading and guiding and involvement of God in our lives. If not for God who fought our battles, we would have succumbed to this life's demands. We owe everything to the Lord; therefore let us render to Him all His due.

Another important aspect that would elicit our love for our God is the fact that He died for our sins, in our place, which no one else would have ever done for us, but God. Once we truly understand the enormity of this sacrificial love, it no longer becomes an effort to love the Lord, but comes naturally. 

Let us therefore leave aside all distractions that demand our attention, and re fall in love with our God - Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Father in Heaven and the Holy Spirit all over again.