“Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:29–30
Why would you choose anything less than to love the Lord your God
with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind, and
with ALL your strength? Why would you choose anything less? Of
course, we do choose many other things to love in life, even though
Jesus is clear with this commandment.
The truth is that the only way to love others, and even to love
ourselves, is to choose to love God with ALL we are. God must be
the one and only focus of our love. But what’s amazing is that the
more we do this, the more we realize that the love we have in our
lives is the kind of love that overflows and overflows in
superabundance. And it is this overflowing love of God that then
pours forth on others.
On the other hand, if we try to divide our loves by our own effort,
giving God only part of our heart, soul, mind and strength, then
the love we have for God cannot grow and overflow in the way God
wants. We limit our capacity for love, and we fall into
selfishness. Love of God is a truly amazing gift when it is total
and all-consuming.
Each one of these parts of our lives are worth pondering and
examining. Think about your heart and how you are called to love
God with your heart. And how does this differ from loving God with
your soul? Perhaps your heart is more focused on your feelings,
emotions and compassion. Perhaps your soul is more spiritual in
nature. Your mind loves God the more it probes the depth of His
Truth, and your strength is your passion and drive in life.
Regardless of how you understand the various parts of your being,
the key is that every part must love God in fullness.
Reflect, today, upon the beautiful commandment of our Lord. It’s a
command of love, and it is given to us not so much for God’s sake
but for ours. God wants to fill us to the point of overflowing
love. Why would we ever choose anything less?
My loving Lord, Your love for me is infinite and perfect in
every way. I pray that I will learn to love You with every fiber of
my being, holding nothing back, and to daily grow deeper in my love
of You. As I grow in that love, I thank You for the overflowing
nature of that love, and I pray that this love of You will flow
into the hearts of those around me. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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