Day 2: Loving God with Everything

Last time talked about Jesus' command to love God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. But what does that even mean? Let's unpack it:

The human body functions as a connected system. God pieced you together in an incredibly purposeful way. Your body is an intricately-designed structure made to work in harmony, and if just one part of us is out of balance, it impacts the rest of our human experience.

Suppose you get a cut on your leg. Your body immediately leaps into action by sending immune cells to remove any infection. Your blood begins to clot and scab over to protect the wound from outside invaders.

But what if you don’t keep the wound clean? Infection sets in and spreads beyond your leg, in time impacting the entire body. You begin to experience fever as your entire body becomes achy and weak. Your mental capacities are dulled, and even your emotions change. What was once just an isolated injury to one part of your body has put your entire being at risk.

Let’s apply this concept to today’s scripture. In Mark 12, Jesus responds to the question, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall 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 12:29-30

I’m not sure if there is a more impactful scripture in all of the Bible. Jesus is literally telling us the most important thing we can do. Loving God with ALL that we are—heart, soul, mind, and strength—is no small task, but the call is life-changing.

We can’t lose sight of one important detail: His call is not to partially love Him. It’s to love Him with literally everything we have! My friends, as we begin to take this call seriously, it will be a lifelong, epic journey. It means surrendering everything we are and have.

Just like that cut on your leg, if one part of you is not healthy, it impacts the rest of the systems in your being. Your mental, physical, and spiritual essence are all connected. They are not isolated parts of you, and every piece of you must be part of your mission to love and pursue Jesus.

Reflect now. Is there a part of me that is not healthy? My heart? My soul? My mind? My strength?

Today’s workout is an opportunity to reflect and dive deeper into loving God with ALL that you are. Take this opportunity to exercise your entire being: heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Application

Get some reps! Take the time to give Him every ounce of who you are in a workout. When we align our entire being with being focused on Him, we get to experience the great depths of who He is.