Loving God And Loving Others: The Basics Of Becoming ChristlikeSample

Day 2: Loving God With All of Your Heart

Most brunches involve waffles. Waffles have a grid-like pattern of “boxes.” Some waffles have shallow boxes while others are deeper. Arguably one of the best parts about these waffles is that they can be filled with fresh fruit and whipped cream—the more, the better. And Belgian waffles have the space to fill each and every square! 

Just like waffles, we often create mental boxes as a way to keep track of things in our lives. It helps us organize our time, focus and effort. But we also tend to do the same thing with our hearts.

Jesus calls us to love God with all of our hearts. Yet our ability to compartmentalize things is harmful. We’re called to have undivided hearts: hearts that love God in every area and every way.

We’re first encouraged to love God with all our hearts in Deuteronomy 6:5, which says: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength” (NLT). 

The heart is so much more than the sum of our feelings; it’s a reflection of who we really are (Prov. 27:19). Scripture is filled with verses that speak to the condition of our hearts and its correlation to our actions. In Proverbs 4:23, King Solomon shares fatherly wisdom for pursuing a godly life, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT).

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise adages and principles to live by, and much of it concerns the condition of the heart. Throughout the book, the word for “heart” appears 91 times as the Hebrew noun leb, referring to the inner man—that which makes up the mind, will, understanding, heart and soul. Leb is also considered the seat of appetites, emotions and passions, and courage. In some of Solomon’s proverbs, the Hebrew word leb is also translated as the word for “wisdom” or “understanding.”

The call to guard our hearts is a call to pure thoughts, words, actions, intents and motivations. The everyday choices we make influence the direction our lives take. Guarding your heart means choosing Christ over sin and self—every time. And as you strengthen your heart, you strengthen the body of Christ.

Spend some time before the Lord, and ask Him to assess the condition of your heart.

Questions for Reflection:

• If someone were to follow you around for a week, what observations would they make about the condition of your heart?
• What does it look like for you to love God with all your heart today?
• When we have hearts that are fully committed to the Lord, we daily take up our crosses, deny ourselves and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). What area(s) of your life do you need to surrender to God today in order to love Him wholeheartedly?