And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:30 KJV
Jesus was asked which of the commandments is most important. This scripture from Mark was his answer. To the first commandment, Christ added another command saying in Mark 12:31, “And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. KJV”
To love with all your heart, you put the object of your love at the center of your being. Loving with all our soul means to love with all our spirit. Further, we are directed to love with all our mind and strength as well. In other words, we are to love God with everything we have, making God the focus of our lives.
Focus on the Good Things of God
Our hearts drive our focus and emotions. For this reason, we place the Lord at the center of our hearts and worship him in spirit and in truth. Luke 6:45 tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. KJV” To love God, we reject evil and deny it access to our hearts and souls. Following the first commandment, we focus on the good things of God.
With that, we are to keep our minds on God and live for the Lord with all our strength. To do this, we reject the ways of the world and stay focused on the word of God. We seek him in prayer and develop in our relationship with him as we resist temptation. We submit to God’s will and put his word into practice in our daily lives.
Prayer: “Father God, you are the most important relationship in my life. Jesus Christ is the most important man that ever lived. I devote my life to you and desire to do your will and only your will. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me into a life that pleases you each and every day. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: The Word Is Near You
