Your greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” That is a mouthful!
The Greek words from this scripture quoting the Hebrew words don’t have the exact meanings of the English translated words that are used today. But the idea is that I need to use all that I have to adore, worship, spend time with and follow You, my Lord. There is no element of my life that is to be without Your influence.
For my heart, I think my emotions need to be measured by You, so I don’t get overly carried away or swept up into something without thinking. I need to be aware of where my passions are leading me and find a place of balance. When discouraged or depressed, I need to fight back against that inner voice berating me with negativity, by speaking Your truth in scriptures about my identity in You:
“I am a child of God” John 1:12
“I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved.” Colossians 3:12
“I am forever free from condemnation” Romans 8:1
I heard once that people spend the first half of their lives trying to satisfy body and mind and the second half trying to satisfy their soul. That inner part of me that seeks peace and wholeness gains it by recognizing the truth of Your Word. So I will learn the real peace and wholeness that comes from You, not the world’s counterfeit found in popular philosophies.
My mind needs to seek “godly wisdom, which is pure, peaceable, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere”; whereas the wisdom of the world is based on the logic of the mind and often the weight of pros and cons as they are understood by a limited human viewpoint. Godly wisdom is what must guide my choices and decisions. As I seek this wisdom, protect my mind from thoughts that do not come from You.
I dedicate my strength to Your purposes: the strength of my body, of my will, my self-determination. Help me realize when my strength is enough, and rely on Your strength to work through my weakness.
And I need to do this all the time?! It is obvious that I can never achieve this on my own. I will never be able to love You this perfectly. Fortunately, “with God, all things are possible!” So I rely on You, Lord, to guard and guide my heart, my soul, my mind and my strength; and to use them for Your glory. This is how I desire to be obedient. Amen
Daily Bible Prayer 