“Teacher, which
is the greatest
commandment in
the Law?” Jesus
replied: ‘Love
the Lord your
God with all
your heart and
with all your
soul and with
all your mind.
This is the
first and
greatest
commandment. And
the second is
like it: Love
your neighbor as
yourself.’ All
the Law and the
Prophets hang on
these two
commandments”
(Matthew
22:36-40, NIV).
Do you love the
Lord your God
with all
yourself (heart,
soul, and mind)?
I do. I meditate
all day long on
God, even while
working at my
job, watching
TV, doing yard
work, etc. My
parallel
thinking is
thoughts about
the things of
God and
conversing with
Christ. I guess
you can say I
talk with God
all day in my
mind, with my
heart, and with
soul. My heart
is always
thinking of the
heart of Christ
and what I can
do to reflect
that love to
others.
For me, this has
been a process
in my growth
with Christ.
After the
excitement and
zeal I had for
Jesus after I
was baptized, my
zeal’s punch
turned into a
light tapping. I
didn’t have
Jesus in the
forefront in my
mind all the
time. In fact,
He was put in
the back seat of
my life. I knew
He was there and
I would only
talk to Him when
I needed
something. I was
like a teenager,
talking to my
parents only
when I needed
something --
like a ride or
money, or advice
that I wouldn’t
listen to unless
it agreed with
the same advice
I was giving
myself.
I realized one
day that I
wanted the zeal
for the Lord
back in my life.
I wanted the
excitement of
knowing God. I
wanted to get to
know Jesus more
intimately. In
the beginning of
my renewed walk,
I stumbled on
the passage
cited in the
beginning of
this article
(when I randomly
opened the Bible
and read the
chapter which I
had opened).
This verse made
things so clear
to me─to love
God with all my
heart, soul, and
mind. That meant
I needed to give
Christ all of
me. To walk
closer with
Christ I needed
to get myself
into the Word
and pray thanks
and guidance,
not just wants.
I didn’t want to
treat Christ as
a convenience
store anymore,
only running to
Him to get
something I
thought I
needed. I wanted
Jesus as my home
in my heart all
the time.
I mean, look,
loving the Lord
with all your
heart, soul, and
mind is easy but
at the same time
it is hard. It’s
easy because God
is love, but it
is hard because,
like any
relationship,
such as
marriage,
getting to the
point of loving
God with all of
you takes work.
It’s not a
100-meter dash;
it’s a long
marathon to get
to the point
where you are
close to Christ.
It’s a life's
journey from the
moment you are
saved by grace
and the
sacrifice of
Christ. It’s
your goal to
live by this
greatest
commandment in
your daily walk
until you die or
whisked away in
the Rapture.
You can’t
rebuild an
engine by
placing the
tools around the
car and walk
away hoping the
next time you
are in the
garage the
engine is built,
that the parts
and the tools
worked
themselves on
their own to get
the engine built
so it is running
and finely
tuned. No! It
takes work, like
your walk with
Christ. You
don’t put raw
chicken on the
counter in the
morning and
expect a roasted
meal to be ready
for you when you
come home from
work. No! It
takes you to
prepare the
meal, put it in
the oven, check
on it from time
to time, and
take it out of
the oven,
prepare the
fixings in order
to eat it.
This is the same
with our
relationship to
Christ. We can’t
get saved and
then set our
salvation to the
side and wait
for our
relationship
with Christ to
just grow on its
own. No! Our
relationship
with Christ is
just what I
said: our own.
If you are
content to just
be saved, then
that is your
choice. Are you
content just to
be married or
have a
girlfriend or
boyfriend and
just leave it at
that? Probably:
not.
I hope that you
work on your
marriage every
day to make it
stronger. Or if
you have a
boyfriend or
girlfriend, are
you content with
that level of
relationship? I
hope not. I hope
you work toward
marriage and
then a family
and a long life
of happiness
with each other.
This is the same
with our
relationship
with Christ. We
can’t just get
saved and set
that salvation
to the side. You
should want to
grow in your
relationship
with Christ. You
should want to
learn about Him
and talk to Him
and lay your
burdens on Him.
Just like your
marriage, you
just don’t get
married and then
do your own
thing and never
talk or try to
improve your
marriage with
your spouse.
To love Christ
with all your
heart, mind, and
soul takes
effort on your
part. Get into
the Word. Talk
to God all the
time. Ask Him
questions,
complain about
your day to Him,
and thank him
for his
blessings. Also,
as part of this
growth, you need
the one thing
that we all have
a problem with:
listen.
When you
converse with
God, listen to
what He has to
say. Don’t make
it a one-way
conversation
from you to Him.
He will impress
thoughts to you,
attitudes, and
will impress
things on your
heart that you
have never felt
before. Listen.
Listen to his
voice talking to
your mind, soul,
and heart.
You’ll be amazed
at what you will
hear from Christ
when you shut-up
and listen. Just
like a
relationship
with your
spouse, you will
learn a lot
about their day,
their concerns
and their
feelings if you
just listen.
When you work
and rebuild that
engine, you
listen to it to
fine-tune it so
it runs smooth.
You just don’t
put it together
and hope it
works. Nope, you
still have to
fine-tune it,
just like your
relationship
with Christ.
What about
loving your
neighbor? This
sounds easy
right? Love your
neighbor as you
love yourself.
If you don’t
love your self,
then you can’t
love your
neighbor. This
command goes
hand-in-hand
with loving God
with all your
heart, soul, and
mind. If you
love God, you
will love your
self. As you
grow in your
relationship
with God, you
can’t help but
radiate the love
of God in your
thoughts,
actions, and
interactions
with others.
I recall the
story of the
Good Samaritan
and how Jesus
talks about the
Samaritan being
the loving
neighbor to a
stranger. I
understand it to
be that when my
relationship
with God is
right, when I
love Christ with
all my heart,
soul, and mind,
I project that
love to the
people around
me. How can I
hate when I love
the God of love.
Does this mean
that I don’t get
irked: by
people? No, but
it means I must
love them on a
different level.
Do I agree with
how my neighbors
treat others or
live their lives
of sin? No, but
by showing my
love of God with
my heart, soul,
and mind, I
believe that I
positively
affect those
people by
showing the love
God gives me by
giving it to
them. It's not
my place to
judge my
neighbors. It is
my job to show
them love. If I
can’t show my
neighbors, love,
how can I
introduce them
to Christ? If I
can’t show my
neighbors, love,
how can I say
that I’m a
follower of
Jesus?
Do I mess this
up sometimes?
Yes, all the
time. When I do,
I ask for
forgiveness from
Christ for my
actions and try
my best to make
things right
with my neighbor
to show them
that I do have
Christ in my
heart and I want
the best for
them. Who are my
neighbors? They
are all my
friends,
acquaintances,
and strangers
that cross my
path. Who do you
consider your
neighbor and how
do you treat
them; the ones
you know and the
strangers that
cross your path?
You may be
asking how to
you attain this
kind of love
with God and how
do you show love
to your
neighbor? It is
simple: Accept
Christ as your
Lord and Savior.
Accept Him into
your heart and
allow Him to
work in you and
you with Him.
Get saved!
Today, right
now! Having
God’s saving
grace through
the redemption
offered by the
sacrifice of his
Son Jesus Christ
is the only way
to attain and
truly live this
great
commandment to
love God with
all your heart,
soul, and mind.
Do you feel like
you are missing
something in
your life? Do
you want more
for your life
than what you
have now? By
accepting Christ
as your Savior,
your life will
change. You will
be a different
person. You will
become a child
of God and no
one can take
that away from
you. Getting
saved is easy.
Accept that
Christ died for
your sins and
rose from the
dead and went
heaven. The
“easy” hard part
is working on
your
relationship
with him so you
can live the
greatest
commandment:
“Love the Lord
with all your
heart, soul, and
mind.”
Be faithful in
your Bible
studies and pray
regularly, every
day, all the
time talking to
God in your
thoughts and
heart. Your
reward for your
efforts will be
blessings in
your life and
eternity in
heaven.
God bless you,
and may the Lord
be with you
always in your
endeavors.
John Lysaught
john_lysaught@yahoo.com