Three Aspects of Loving God
Loving God With All Our Heart, Soul And Mind
“Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the Law ?”
Jesus replied :
“Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandmant.”
Matthew 22:36-38
There are three things involved in loving God. These are the heart, soul, and mind. When you say loving God with all your heart it means God is enthroned at the center of your heart as King. It means He is your First Love, He is your all in all, He is your everything, He is the center of your life. He is the main reason for your existence . It means that God completely possessed your heart. It means you have no room for the “idols of the heart”. What are these “idols of the heart”? We consider “idols” as anything that comes in between you and God. These “idols” destroy your relationship with God. It could be a person you desire so much, it could be your ambition, it could be your career. It is something you allot much of your resources such as time, money and energy. If you allow “idols” preoccupy your heart , you will ruin your beautiful relationship with God. Loving God with all your heart involves consecration and dedication of your life to God. Allowing “idols” to preoccupy your heart , is violating the commandment of God. It is written in the Law that you should have no other gods. Entertaining “idols of the heart” is idolatry and having other gods.
So many professing Christians are not aware of these “idols of the heart”. It could appear as subtle in the form of a special person in your life, a special brother or a special friend. A Christian should always guard his heart at all times so that he will not be guilty of idolatry. We must commit to God every desire in our heart and every inclination of our thoughts. Many Christians because they have not guarded their heart have fallen into the snare of idolatry. They have exchanged God for a certain person, for a career, for material possession, thus they live miserable lives.
Loving God involves loving God with all your soul. Soul involves emotions and feelings. Loving God involves emotions. Loving God with all your soul means God is the center of your worship. God is the center of your adoration. God is the primary inspiration of your daily life. God is the major source of encouragement in your life. You draw your primary encouragement for living not from a certain person but from God.
Loving God with all your mind involves loving God with your will and intellect. Your primary motivations in life depends wholly on your relationship with God. You are motivated to live a holy life for it will surely please God. God is the center of your will. The primary goal of your life is to do the will of God. So obedience will be very evident in your life. Loving God with all your mind involves a complete dedication of your life to God’s plan and purposes for the lost world.
A true disciple of Christ is in the process of loving God with all his heart, soul and mind. It could be a lifelong journey. As we pursue the journey of faith, our love for God continually develop and mature. But initially upon surrendering our life to Christ , we have learned to love God upon knowing His unconditional love for us. Upon knowing His love for us inspite of our depravity and wickedness, we began to love God in response to His unconditional love. We do love God because He first loved us.
