With All Your Heart

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:34-40

Some people have problems with the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love Him with all of their hearts, all of their souls, and all of their minds: “I do not like someone - even if that Someone is God - commanding me to love them. I want my love to come freely.” Such a reservation melts when we consider why God sets the commandment of love above all others. As we allow the Holy Spirit to love Him through us, we love God with all of our strength because He is worthy of our devotion.

The Lord created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them - including us (Gen. 1:1; 2:7, 22). Christ has saved us from eternal destruction. He supplies all of our needs (Phil. 4:19). Christ Jesus died and rose again - for you and me. Understanding God’s majesty and glory is the wellspring of our love. He has done so much for us. How can we not love such a One?

We also love God with all of hearts because He knows that devotion given to any other person or thing besides Himself is harmful. God created us for Himself. When our highest and noblest love is directed to something or someone else, we have been seduced into treachery. Loving God frees us from competing idols which only enslave us.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good...” Psalm 107:1