Do You Love God With All Your Heart?

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is:

You shall love the Lord your God 

     with all your heart, and 

          with all your soul, and 

               with all your mind, and 

                    with all your strength.
                         —Mark 12:30 (NASB95)

When God first gave this command to Israel, He said two things that help me better understand heart. The text is in Deuteronomy 6, and Moses told the people the reason for God’s instruction.

So that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God…. (v. 3)

Not only is fear of (reverence for) God found in the heart, but also fear of enemies and anxiety over life’s uncertainties. Kindness is in the heart, but also stubbornness. Courage is there, along with dread; gladness and also sadness. Pride is in the heart, so also, humility.

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (vv. 6-7)

Is God’s word on your heart? 

For that to be true, God’s word must be given the highest level of importance. If God’s word is on your heart, you will be attentive to God’s commands and will actively pursue God’s instruction in obedience.

In the heart a man is stirred to act, strengthened with conviction and filled with integrity.

The kings of Israel were often compared to David, who served God with a whole heart. Yet Solomon’s heart was turned away from God because of his many wives.

The one who loves God with all his heart longs to know God, desires to know His expectations, and follows without apology and without question. It is not that he cannot think for himself or apply reason to God’s word. Nor is it that he has complete understanding. Yet, his convictions are rooted in God’s instruction, and they define his perceptions and attitudes.

God’s instruction is not a goal to achieve, but a path to walk. It is a path walked with awareness, intent, confidence and unwavering commitment. It is a path walked with passion:

• King David could not contain his joy when the ark of the Lord was returned to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 6:14-16)
• Isaiah was moved in his heart to take God’s message to His people. (Isaiah 6:8)
• Jeremiah could not contain God’s word within his heart. (Jeremiah 20:9)
• The first Christians poured out their hearts through generous gifts for fellow believers who were in need. (Acts 4:32-37)
• Some Christians showed heart by suffering persecution, even death. (Hebrews 11:32-40)

To love God with all your heart is to set Him above all other things in life.

Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

—Hebrews 12:1-3

Do you love God with all your heart???

Mark Stinnett

March 28, 2021