Thursday, August 8, 2013

With all My Heart

Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

This is the verse that I have been focusing on this week through the online bible study that I am doing with Proverbs 31 ministries. It is based on the book by What Happens When Women Say Yes to God." by Lysa Terkeurest.

When I broke down the scripture I realized that I had a lot to learn about loving my Lord. What does it mean to love God with all my heart, soul and strength.

First, what is love? What does that mean?
Webster's Dictionary defines love as "warm attachment, enthusiasm, devotion, unselfish loyalty and benevolent (marked by or disposed to doing good) concern of another person." It also defines love as "a person's adoration of God"

Ok, so just to love God I need to be attached to Him, enthusiastic about Him, devoted to Him, give Him my unselfish loyalty and do good for Him along with my adoration.

So does anybody else feel that they are falling short on loving God?

Now we move on to how we are to love him...

1. with all your heart- so me being me, I decided to look up heart in Websters. Here is what I found...heart is defined as:
- emotional or moral as distinguished from intellectual nature
-ones innermost character, feelings or inclinations
-the central or innermost part of the essential (most vital part of something)

So to love God with my heart I have to be attached to, be enthusiastic about, devoted to, be unselfishly loyal to, using my emotional nature, the innermost vital part of myself, to adore my Lord. And use that heart to do good for Him.

2. with all my soul - Websters says a soul is:
-immaterial (not consisting of matter) essence
-a person's total self
-an active or essential part
-the moral or emotional nature of human beings
-spiritual or moral force

So to love God with my soul I have to be attached to, be enthusiastic about, devoted to, be unselfishly loyal to, using my immaterial, total, active, essential part of myself,  my emotional nature to be a spirtual or emotional force for my Lord.

3. with all my strength -  Websters says strength is: -
-the quality or state of being stong (capacity for exertion or endurance)
-power to resist force (solidarity; toughness)
-power of resisting attack

So to love God with my strength  I have to be attached to, be enthusiastic about, be devoted to, be unselfishly loyal to, exerting myself solidly in my faith with toughness to resist attacks of Satan in this world for my Lord.

Alrighty then.......so...
So to love God with my heart , soul and strength, I need to enthusiastically attach myself to Him. I need to be devoted to and unselfishly loyal to Him. By using my emotions, the most  vital part of who I am, to adore my Lord. As well as to be a spiritual and physical force for Him iu the world. Doing good and exerting myself solidly in my faith, with a toughness to resist the attacks of Satan in this world.

Wow! That is all from webster's dictionary.

Once again I am reminded that we are called by God to love Him with all of ourselves. In turn we are called to surrender ourselves, all of ourselves for Him. . My NIV study Bible puts it this way, "Primarily in view here is the love shown by a subject to a king. To love King Yahweh is to be his loyal and obedient servant. Love for God and neighbor is built on the love that the Lord has for his people and on his identification with them."

I am reminded of Rick Warren's book Purpose Driven Life . The first four words "It's not about you"

Now that I know how I am suppose to strive to love God with my heart, soul and strength. I can use that
to say #YestoGod in all that he asks!  I am just grateful that he sent Jesus to cover me in His grace!






2 comments:

  1. Michelle-
    I loved the way you broke down this verse and rewrote it with the help of the dictionary. It was so vibrant and REAL when I read it all put together. I could feel the way it changed your perspective on the verse; it seemed more tangible and accessible.
    Thank you for sharing this scripture experience.

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  2. Michelle,

    I wrote a response but apparently my IT knowledge is lacking. I just wanted to comment that you broke this down just like I would have. Very pragmatically. I'd like to invite you to check out this link. It helps understand the nuance of heart, mind, and soul beyond the surface. I can't wait to read more from you!

    http://www.tripartiteman.org/definition/heart.html


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