What does it mean to "love the LORD your God" with all your heart? Setting the Verse in Context Deuteronomy 6:5: “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” What “Heart” Meant to Moses and Jesus • Hebrew “lēb” points to the control center of the person—mind, will, emotions, conscience, and desires (Proverbs 4:23). • Jesus re-affirms the same total-person love in Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30, answering the greatest-commandment question. Wholehearted Love Is Undivided Devotion • No rivals: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). • Singleness of purpose: “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). • Loyal affection rather than reluctant duty: “Delight yourself in the LORD” (Psalm 37:4). Wholehearted Love Is Internal Delight Leading to External Obedience • Jesus links love and obedience: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). • John echoes it: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). • Moses goes straight from the command to love (Deuteronomy 6:5) to instructions for daily life (6:6-9). Practical Marks of Loving the LORD with All Your Heart • Treasuring His Word – Store it within: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). – Speak it continually: “Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road” (Deuteronomy 6:7). • Trusting Him First – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6). – Refusing anxiety by casting cares on Him (Philippians 4:6-7). • Choosing Obedience Over Convenience – Daniel risked the lions’ den rather than compromise prayer (Daniel 6). – Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego preferred the fiery furnace to bowing to an idol (Daniel 3). • Guarding Against Idolatry – Anything treasured more than God—career, family, pleasure—becomes a false god (1 John 2:15-17). • Thanking Him Constantly – “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Gratitude keeps the heart warm toward the Giver. • Serving Others for His Sake – Love for God spills into love for neighbor (1 John 4:20-21; Galatians 5:13-14). How Wholehearted Love Becomes Possible • The New Covenant promise: “I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). • God writes His law on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33). • The Spirit pours God’s love into us (Romans 5:5), empowering what He commands (Philippians 2:13). Daily Habits That Keep the Heart All-In • Start the day in Scripture and prayerful surrender. • Memorize verses that reveal God’s character. • Replace grumbling with specific thanks. • Practice prompt, joyful obedience to every clear command. • Evaluate choices by one question: “Will this please the Lord I love?” • Meet with other believers for mutual heart-check encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25). Why Wholehearted Love Matters • It fulfills the greatest command and sums up the Law and Prophets (Matthew 22:40). • It positions us to enjoy God’s promised blessings (Deuteronomy 6:18; John 15:11). • It displays God’s worth to a watching world (1 Peter 2:9-12). In Summary Loving the LORD with all your heart means treasuring Him above every affection, trusting Him above every alternative, and obeying Him above every competing voice—because He alone is worthy. |
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