Loving God Big Chikamu

Loving God with All Our Heart

When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'." Matthew 22:37-39 NIV

First, let’s look at what the word of God says about our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick who can understand it? In Psalm 51:10 King David asks, God to create in him a clean heart. In Ezekiel 36:26 God is telling the Israelites that He will give them a new heart. These scriptures make me think that God knows we need help with our hearts. 

So how do we know if our heart is deceitful? In Matthew 15:18 ESV Jesus says what comes from the mouth proceeds from the heart. Jesus, right here, tells us how we know the condition of our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 ESV goes on to say, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life." This is a clear direction,  that we "keep our hearts". 

So, what can we do that "keep" our hearts? Psalm 119:11 says to store the word of God in our hearts. Acts 8:22 says that we are to repent. Hebrews says that our heart is hard because of rebellion. James 4:8 goes on to tell us that we are to purify our hearts. To me, this sounds like we get to make choices in our lives that affect what the heart looks like. I truly believe that the condition of our hearts is the key to loving God.

John 14:21 says the one who keeps Gods commands loves Him. When you really love God you will want to do those things that are pleasing to Him. I’m not talking about checking off the boxes; many times, that is simply going through the motions. 

So, is going through the motions and checking all the right boxes really loving God? What I’m talking about is connecting with the heart of God through his word, through praise and worship, through listening to sound teachings and spending time in prayer, but also taking the time to listen to that "still small voice". 

My prayer for you today is that you will reflect on the scriptures and ask God, "What does loving You really look like?"

To get more out of today's devotional, journal the questions I posed today and meditate on ways you can Love God Big.