Wholehearted: A 7-Day Standard Operating Procedure for Loving GodSample

What does Jesus mean by the command he gives in Mark 12:30-31? The first part of the command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart. The Greek word here refers to one’s feelings or the center of one’s being. We know from the book of Jeremiah the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. However, Jesus is our healer. On the cross, he bore our sins, and by his wounds, we are healed.

David cries out in repentance in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” As we follow Jesus, we must submit our hearts and feelings to his will, which requires trust. The only way to build the confidence needed to submit your heart to the Lord is to build a relationship with him.

While stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I was assigned to a Psychological Operations unit. The motto was to win the hearts and minds of the people. Our mission required us to build relationships with partner nations to build their trust in us. In doing so, we would win their hearts and minds. Similarly, God wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to transform our hearts and minds to desire what his will is for our lives. He can only do that when our hearts are fully committed to him.

Much like our mission in the military, our reliance and trust in the Lord are built over time. We spend time getting to know him through daily reading his Word and praying. As we carefully read the Bible, we recognize his faithfulness to his people throughout Scripture.

As we know God for who he is: faithful, loving, just, merciful, compassionate, and so much more, our hearts will be changed and healed. Just like Jesus told the Pharisees, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:30-31 NIV).

Jesus came to heal the sick. As we get to know him, our trust grows, and he heals our sick hearts in the process Over time, we will more confidently be able to submit our hearts and our feelings to his will, just as Christ did on the cross. Do you know the Lord personally and love him with your whole heart, or are you hesitant to give it all to him?