Loving God

And he (Jesus) answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself (Luke 10:27)

This command first appeared as part of the Shema, which remains a central prayer of Judaism, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6. Moses repeated it multiple times to the Israelites, and Joshua repeated it again as he charged the nation of Israel to remain true to God in the Promised Land.

The next time we read it is in the words of Jesus.

Love God. That sounds simple. A lot of people claim to love God, but what does loving God mean. What does it look like in my daily life?

All my heart –

God is my emotional center.  He is the Light in each morning and the rest in each night.  He fills the emptiness in me with the fulness of His grace.  My heart response is love, adoration, and joy.

All my soul –

God is my salvation.  He has cleansed and renewed my soul through the blood of His Son.  He has given me His holiness, His peace, and His grace.  My soul response is worship, which permeates every aspect of my life.  He alone is worthy of praise.  He alone is God.

All my mind –

God is the Creator of intellect, and He is Truth.  He is the spark of imagination and the author of creativity.  His wisdom is breathed into the Scripture to allow me to know Him.  He gave me the power of thought, so that I could learn to focus on Him.  He keeps me in perfect peace when my mind is stayed on Him.

All my strength –

God provides the energy which opens my eyes after each night’s rest.  He is the spring of life that drives my service, my work, my life.  He sustains me through weariness and illness.  He the breath I breathe and the steps I take. He is my strength.

Loving Him impacts everything I am and everything I do.  That is why I call Him Lord.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (I John 4:20)

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

Photo – Canadian Mountains, Beth Mims