LOVING GOD with HEART, SOUL, MIND, & STRENGTH

Mark 12:28-34 (Deut. 6:4-5; Mt. 22:36-37)

Background – Deut. 6:4-5 (called Shema = “Hear”) repeated daily in a.m./p.m.

“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 22:40)

LOVE is the foundation; the essence of God’s character - parts: 1) Forgiveness; 2) Acceptance

Aramaic Bible Trans. Mk. 12:30 - And you shall love the Lord Jehovah with your whole heart and with your entire soul and with your entire mind and with all your power. This is the first commandment.

HOW TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL /OUT OF THE WHOLE (BEING) –

HEART – Hebrew lebab = to be enclosed (s the interior or center)

Greek kardia = the seat in the center of man’s inward life – the place of human depravity or the sphere of divine influence. (Ps. 51:6 – truth in inward part; wisdom in hidden part)

- Engages us in everything by which He will be pleased. Leads us into faith because w/o faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6).

- Requires sincerity of thoughts/beliefs and affections/feelings.

1) Recognizing that our affections determine our thoughts and therefore our devotions. Our heart’s affections are the deep currents that steer our lives, our rudder.

2) Understand that our affections follow what we treasure/value.

Mt. 6:21 – Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Mt. 13:44 – Again the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

3) Aim to make Jesus your greatest treasure.

Phil. 3:8 – I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

4) Spend time with God and let His light shine in your heart through –

- prayer

- Bible reading/study

- Adjustments to your lifestyle

- being with Him in everything you do; practicing His presence

Our love for Him intensifies through the times of struggles and trial as we experience His faithfulness, mercy, grace, and love as well as coming to understand His hatred of sin, His holiness & righteousness.

You can’t truly love someone you don’t know.

SOUL – Hebrew nephesh – a breathing creature – Greek psuche – breath (regarding man’s feelings/emotions, attitudes, and will

Ps. 103:2 – Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

I Tim. 6:11-12 – But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

• The feelings/emotions of a person’s make-up will get out of control w/o a direct use of the will. May stay in anger, bitterness, resentment, self-pity, hatred, fear, being covetous, etc. because of aligning their soul against God rather than aligning themselves in His love.

• I Cor. 13:4-8 explains the characteristics of God’s love.

How to rightly apply that Love out of our soul –

1) Make godly choices (which flow from the treasures/values of our heart)

- spending money

- time management

- things we read

- things we watch

- entertainments

- relaxations

- self-comforts

- friends

2) Pursue obedience to His Word. This is where faith meets with our emotions.

What does God say about this? Do a quick word study on what you’re struggling with.

3) Pursue a life of humility in attitudes and speech

Pro. 18:21 – Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

4) Example: choices:

Positive side - a) give up/give in

b) Hope – seeks solution/way out

Negative side - a) angry retaliation

b) patience w/endurance

MIND – Gk. dianoia (v. 30) = deep through, exercising the mind; to think through

(v.33) sunesis = a putting together; to figure out; intelligence (used by scribe in answer)

• Our intellect, how we analyze and figure things out; our knowledge and understanding; the images we dwell on (imaginations).

We love God with all our minds by –

1) Taking control of what we allow into our minds because they affect our -

• Reason – the process of logic. Logic should never trump God’s Word/Revelation

o Is. 1:18-20 – Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good for the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

• Your mind is the learner; your heart is the leader. Many times, your heart receives from the Lord first and the mind lags behind.

• Knowledge – we must take time to fill our minds with God’s Word to replace vain imaginations (II Cor. 10:5)

• Memory – our past has a voice negative or positive. We can choose which to listen to.

o Ps. 107 – details these choices; when remembering God’s faithfulness, deliverance came

o Don’t allow your past to ‘freeze’ you by remembering the negatives.

• Imagination – God-given ability to picture, to dream, to create, to think outside the box

o in our imaginations heaven’s thoughts can be captured and released into our lives.

o Is. 55:8-9 – God’s thoughts/ways are not the same as ours, but higher

2) Everything we put in or allow in our minds is right, true, & moral (Phil. 4:8)

3) We align our conclusions & decisions w/God’s Word/Commands in all situations

4) Our mind is the place where our knowledge and understanding are analyzed and manipulated in order to bring about a conclusion or decision.

STRENGTH – Heb. meod – vehemently (i.e. with everything you’ve got)

Root meaning = a poker to rake, move quickly and turn-over hot coals.

• Basically, this means to reach into a hot situation and turn things around or align them to be right.

• Gk. ischus = forcefulness, ability, might

“Loving God with all our strength speaks of the ultimate expression of our heart + soul + mind being released together through our bodily functions. It’s the outward expression of what is going on within ourselves to the outside world through our sight, speech, and physical actions.”

It is the combined focused, forceful excursion of the activities of the heart + mind + soul’s will expressed through our physical body towards something or someone until the goal is carried out or the situation is turned in your favor.

Heart (treasure/value) (Contrasting examples: Cain:

+ Soul (emotion/will) jealous + hatred + evil plan = murder

+ Mind (reason/knowledge/talent/skill) God: love + compassion + redemptive

= Strength (specific focus to carry something out plan = Jesus, Messiah)

We love God with all our strength by –

1) What our hands find to do. (As unto the Lord)

2) What our eyes see (we pursue/seek what we see/desire)

3) What our ears hear (we begin to think in those ways)

4) Where our feet go (Mt. 28:19 are we going to make disciples?)

5) What our mouth speaks (life or death - Pr. 18;21)

Conclusion:

Can you identify how your heart’s value + your soul’s will + your mind’s analytical process has led you to a decision (strength) that you’ve carried out?

• When we treasure the Lord, and His word our heart’s desires will align with His desires.

• When our soul is cleansed through the power of Jesus’ blood and transformed through His Word, then our emotions and thoughts will be directed by the Spirit of the living God.

• When our minds are set on things above and not on earthly things, then our minds become safe in our thinking and reasoning.

• When our strength comes from the joy of the Lord, we can do all that He has created us to do and to become what He desires for us to experience with boldness of faith in Him.