Topical Bible: The Heart: we should Serve God With All

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The concept of the heart in the Bible is central to understanding the nature of human devotion and the call to serve God with complete dedication. The heart, in biblical terms, often represents the seat of emotions, will, intellect, and moral consciousness. It is the core of a person's being and the source from which actions and intentions flow.

Biblical Mandate to Serve God with All the Heart

The call to serve God with all one's heart is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, emphasizing total devotion and sincerity in one's relationship with the Divine. In Deuteronomy 6:5, the Israelites are commanded, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This verse underscores the comprehensive nature of the love and service God requires, involving every aspect of one's being.

Similarly, in Deuteronomy 10:12, Moses exhorts the people, "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." This passage highlights the integral connection between love, fear, and service to God, all emanating from a heart fully committed to Him.

The Heart as the Center of Devotion

The heart's role as the center of devotion is further illustrated in the Psalms. Psalm 119:10 declares, "With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments." Here, the psalmist expresses a deep yearning and commitment to God's ways, seeking Him with undivided attention and purpose.

In the New Testament, Jesus reiterates the importance of wholehearted devotion in Matthew 22:37, quoting the Shema from Deuteronomy: "Jesus declared, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" This commandment is presented as the greatest, encapsulating the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

The Heart's Condition and Transformation

The Bible also addresses the condition of the human heart, recognizing its potential for both good and evil. Jeremiah 17:9 warns, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" This acknowledgment of the heart's fallen state underscores the need for divine intervention and transformation.

Ezekiel 36:26 offers a promise of renewal: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." This prophetic assurance points to God's work in transforming the heart, enabling His people to serve Him fully and faithfully.

Wholehearted Service in Practice

The call to serve God with all the heart is not merely theoretical but is meant to be lived out in practical ways. Colossians 3:23-24 instructs believers, "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." This passage encourages Christians to approach every task with the same fervor and dedication as if serving Christ directly.

In summary, the biblical call to serve God with all the heart is a profound invitation to a life of complete devotion, love, and obedience. It requires a heart transformed by God's grace, fully engaged in the pursuit of His will and purposes.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 11:13
And it shall come to pass, if you shall listen diligently to my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

How Divine Love Makes Use of all the Passions and Affections of ...
... However, we must take courage, putting our trust in our ... of her two children that
the elder should serve the younger ... of these two loves of our heart the sensual ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xx how divine love.htm

The True Lord and the one God is Declared by the Law, and ...
... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" and, "Him ... with riches, nor
mundane glory, nor present fancy, but should know that we must "worship ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxii the true lord and.htm

Of the Works which God Works in all in Common and of Five Kinds of ...
... live in worldly employments and in multiplicity of heart. ... Thirdly, we should find
and understand clearly in ourselves ... praise Him, and with which we must serve ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter v of the works.htm

The Practice of what Has Been Said in the Preceding Chapter.
... say in my soul with all my heart: O eternal ... when we only go to sing in order to serve
God. ... some particular motive, as, for example, if we should love chastity ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xiv the practice of.htm

St. Barnabas' Day. We Preach unto You that Ye Should Turn from ...
... We preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God which
made heaven ... So that heaven at last we reach; ... Tokens that my Father's heart. ...
/.../winkworth/lyra germanica the christian year/st barnabas day we preach.htm

Letter xxiv. --The Call of God a Sign of Predestination.
... It costs so much to serve God in the world, that people ... Nevertheless, as it is God's
rule that we should do all in ... of the day raise your mind and heart to God ...
/.../de caussade/abandonment to divine providence/letter xxiv the call of god.htm

The Sermon on the Mount.
... of God, and will become blind in heart and conscience ... The birds do not serve mammon
at all, yet ... Therefore we should not hesitate to choose God's service.] 28 ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xlii the sermon on the 6.htm

The Imitation of Christ
... The Twenty-First Chapter: Sorrow of Heart. ... The Fourth Chapter: We Must Walk Before
God in Humility and ... The Ninth Chapter: All Things should be Referred to God ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/the imitation of christ/

How we Practise the Love of Benevolence in the Praises which Our ...
... if we could see him as he is, we should die of love for him, so long as we are mortal;
as he himself died for us ... O when we hear this divine Heart, as it ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xi how we practise.htm

Monday in Whitsun-Week. Would God that all the Lord's People were ...
... They fail not from before God's throne,. Till all His goodness we have known. ... Thou
wouldst not that our hearts should prove. ... Grace for the contrite heart abounds, ...
/.../lyra germanica the christian year/monday in whitsun-week would god.htm