Living in Increase (Part 2) - Increase in Loveনমুনা

With All Your Soul

Yesterday, we discussed what it looks like to love God with all our hearts. Today, we will discuss what it looks like to love God with all our souls.

The word “soul” in Luke 10:27 is the Greek Word psychē. Our souls serve as “the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, [and] aversions” we have. When Jesus tells us to love God with all our souls, He means we are to love Him with our minds, will, and emotions. Since loving God with our minds is a separate topic, let’s briefly discuss what it looks like to love God with our will and emotions.

One of the best examples of loving God with our will comes from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Before He is arrested and crucified, Jesus has an honest prayer time with God. He says, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42). Jesus was honest with God. He told Him that He did not want to suffer what was coming. However, in the end, He prayed for God’s will to be done over His will, which is how we love God with our will. We are honest about what we want, but ultimately, we sacrifice what we want for what He wants!

Loving God with our will is like loving God with our emotions; they both require honesty. When we love God with our emotions, we are honest with Him about our feelings. God gifted us emotions; unfortunately, some emotions have gotten a bad reputation in the Church. Regardless of your feelings, you can love God with your emotions by being honest. If you’re hurting, tell Him. If you’re happy, tell Him. If you’re anxious, tell Him. If you’re peaceful, tell Him.

Loving God with all our souls means that we are open and honest with Him, and we choose to love Him, even when we feel like we don’t. In Psalm 103, David speaks to his soul, commanding it to “bless the Lord.” When you don’t feel like moving forward, you have the authority to tell your soul, “Bless the Lord!” When we’re honest with God, desire His will above our will, and bless Him regardless of our feelings, we love Him with all our souls!

Emily N. Green

Action Step: Take a few minutes to do a soul-check. First, evaluate your will. Write down what you want in life. Then, ask God to have His will in every part of your life. Next, evaluate your emotions. Write down what you are feeling right now. Be honest with God and tell Him why you feel the way you feel. Allow some time to sit in silence and listen for what God wants to say to you.