Yesterday as we considered our view of God, one of the passages we looked at was Deuteronomy 6, and we saw there the command to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." This command is repeated by Jesus in the New Testament in Matthew 22, Mark 12 and Luke 10. The New Testament includes the command to love the Lord with all your mind. Let's focus on that command today. Note the repeated word "all". Guess what the word "all" means......it means "all"!! Knowing that, consider the following questions:
- Would you say that the psalmist is one who loves God with "all" his heart, soul, mind, strength? Why or why not? What verses support your answer?
- What does it "look like" in real life in the 21st century to love God with all your heart? With all your soul? With all your mind? With all your strength? Be specific in your answers.
- Do you know someone who loves God in this way?
- Do you?
We have previously looked at a rather curious phrase in Psalm 119:70....."their heart is covered with fat." Did you give that phrase any thought? What does it mean? According to the Complete Word Study Dictionary - Old Testament, the word used here for "fat" is used to symbolize a heart that has become insensitive to God. Do you see the contrast in this verse? "They" have a fat (insensitive to God) heart, but "I" (the psalmist) delight in Your word. Can you see the similarity between the culture in which the psalmist lived and the culture in which you and I live? How does this support the relevance of this Psalm for our lives?
Here's something else to think about today.......is there a difference between loving God with all your heart and loving God with all your mind? Is one more or less difficult than the other?
Let's go back to a previous question......what does it "look like" in real life to love God with all your mind? How does that affect choices you make? How do we keep our minds "uncluttered" in such a way that we can love God this completely with our minds?
Consider the following verses and how you can apply them to your own life as you seek to love God with all your mind:
- Philippians 4:8
- Matthew 6:33-34
- Philippians 3:13-14
- Romans 8:28
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Romans 11:33
- Romans 12:1-2
- Hebrews 12:1-2
Spend some time today thinking about how completely you are loving God, how completely your love is evidenced in every area of your life. Talk to God about it. Be sure to listen for what He has to say.
"With all my heart I will observe Your precepts." (Psalm 119:69)
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