"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord; And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
Mark 12:29-30
Part 3
Yesterday: What is God’s Kind of Love?
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God.”
As God has shown us by His kind of love for us, genuine love for God requires much more than feelings; it involves the right actions!
Today: Giving God the Right Place in My Heart
Of the seventeen times, the Bible tells us to “love the Lord,” nine of these statements were made in the book of Deuteronomy as the law was given to Israel the second time. As the law can never get a soul to God, these words remind us that the Lord loves His children, and He gave Israel these commandments to point them to Himself. Twice more, Joshua used these words for Israel to “love the Lord” as he challenged God’s children to go into the “Promised Land.” And Jesus Himself gave the command to “love the Lord” twice in His dealings with Israel’s leaders in the Gospels. Indeed, these words are weighty and ought to be considered carefully by believers who are following Him.
We are to love our God, above all else!
“Love the Lord thy God,”
“With all thy heart.”
Jesus’ words leave little room for anything else in our hearts. Literally, the ancient phrase says “out of thy whole heart”[1] (Vincent). This is speaking about more than our “blood-pumpers.” It includes “the seat of our emotions,” where our will lies, and where we make all our decisions. It is “the whole inner man”[2] (JFB).
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
No wonder Jesus reinforced what the law said about loving God, starting with our hearts! Every decision of life begins there! “Out of it are the issues of life.”
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Deuteronomy 10:12).
“My son, give me thine heart and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26).
Even our family cannot come first in our lives. That is the Lord’s place in our hearts!
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
We love the Lord wholeheartedly and with our actions. What actions can our love for God do “with all thy heart?” Perhaps a little housekeeping in our heart is needed. Why don’t we take some time and prioritize our affections and see that we are thinking rightly about our love for God and others?
In what other ways are we obliged to love our God? Come back tomorrow, and we will think about what it is to love Him with our “souls.”
Quote: “The Hebrew word is ahab and means to have affection for, desire, delight in, or be fond of. It implies an ardent inclination of the mind and a tenderness of affection, and denotes a strong emotional attachment for and a desire to be in the presence of the object of love.”
“The Greek word is agapaō, to have a preference for, or to wish well; to regard the welfare of. It is to take pleasure in; to prize it above other things; to be unwilling to abandon it or do without it; to welcome with desire; to long for.”[3]
[1] M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword. Mark 12:29-30.
[2] Jamison, Fausset, and Brown. Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Mark 12:30.
[3] Quote of love defined, Downloaded: Tuesday, January 6, 2021. From: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/how-can-i-love-god-with-all-my-heart-soul-mind-and-strength.html.