Loving God Totally

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “. . . he asked Him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ” (Mark 12:28b-30)
  Passage: Psalm 95:1-7

   There is something wired in our human nature that likes to talk about greatness`. People debate who was the greatest President, or in athletics, the greatest baseball, basketball or football player. All those debates never have a clear answer, because there is not a clear authority to make the final determination about them. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day argued among themselves which of the 613 laws were the greatest, or most important. When Jesus was asked, they weren’t thinking of Him as the final authority for the answer, but He was and He is the Universal Authority, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

Jesus identified the greatest commandment as loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5, which has heart, soul and strength, but He added your mind. He didn’t misquote. He identified that strength is not just physical. It is mental as well. The essence of the command is that God wants you to love Him totally, because He loves you totally. How to you do that? Give God all you are in heart, soul, mind and strength.

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)