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NASB | Matthew 22:37 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.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 22:37 And Jesus replied to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' [Deut 6:5] |
Bible Question: how can i love God with all my heart, soul and strength as stated in chapter 6 verse 4 |
Bible Answer: Dear btabuadua, Welcome to the forum! I am so delighted that you have asked this question! Rarely does anyone on the forum talk about this ultimate and primary commandment. Far more often they are concerned with trivialities and loopholes! The fact that you have asked this question is a sure sign that God is working in your life... so be encouraged! One of the problems in modern life is our lack of understanding of the word love. We tend to think of it purely in emotional terms. But as you see in Matthew 22:37, Christ explains it as a love that is all encompassing. (Note that He actually includes the phrase "with all your mind," which is missing from Deuteronomy 6:5. That's because Greek readers wouldn't have understood that the mind was included. In Hebrew heart means the whole internal package.) Loving God isn't something that just happens all at once. The love of God of a true believer will always be something growing in him (1 John 4:7-16). Christ said something that began my understanding of how to love Him. He said, "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me." (John 14:21a ESV) So at the root of love is active obedience. Obedience begins, continues, and concludes in the gospel (John 3:36). Only a regenerate person can begin to love and obey the Lord. Without the Holy Spirit, we have no hope of doing either (Galatians 5:17; John 14:17; etc.). Consequently we must frequently examine our lives to be certain we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). I am very much in love with my wife. The more I get to know her, the more delighted I am in her. Also, as time goes by, we think more and more alike. We even begin to imitate one another in mannerisms, language, and values. I have never understood the people that say they love God, but have no interest in learning more about Him. That's an amazing fallacy in our day. I've had people from this forum write to me and tell me that knowledge is not important in the Christian life. How can we love God and not want to know everything that He has revealed about Himself (Psalm 112:2)? Can you imagine what my wife would think if I told her I loved her, but I didn't really want to know her better? Or if I said I loved her, but I wasn't really interested in what she said about herself? Or if I said I thought she was beautiful, but I didn't want to look at her? Whew! The more we see the God, the more our hearts will be drawn to Him (Psalm 27:4). As our minds are transformed -- in knowledge, thinking, priorities -- we will naturally love Him more (Colossians 1:9-10). A believer hangs on the Lord's every word and adores His beauty. As finite beings we will never fully grasp the Lord -- who'd want a God that you could! But isn't that cool? Imagine, we'll have all eternity to continue to know Him and adore Him. One day, maybe a billion years from now, I might come running up to you, exclaiming, "Oh, wow! Guess what I found out about Him today!!!" So much could be written on this topic. Let me boil it down to the essentials. Loving God with our entire being involves the emotions, the mind, and our obedience. It isn't passive, but active love. It is the appropriate and diligent pursuit of all who belong to Him. In Him, Doc |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Matt 22:37 | Author | ||
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JOHNNYQ | ||
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1969chgo | ||
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brazos | ||
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btabuadua | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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lionheart | ||
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azurelaw | ||
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begbie | ||
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stressedchristian | ||
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Milena | ||
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wkim | ||
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LovemyLord7 |