Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - Oct. 1, 2012

How to Love God

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” —Matthew 22:37–38

When the Pharisees asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the Law, He told them, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38).

This is known as the Shema, something that every Jew would have memorized. Jesus was effectively saying that instead of worrying about which commandments were lesser or greater, get back to this: love God with all of your being, and all of these things will be sorted out. It makes complete sense, doesn’t it? Because really if I love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, and mind, then I naturally will want to do what He wants me to do.

Jesus then added, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (verses 39–40).

The Ten Commandments are divided into two sections. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The final six deal with our relationship with others. If I love God with all of my heart, soul, and mind, then I will not want to have another god before Him or worship an idol or take His name in vain. And if I love my neighbor as I love myself, then I will not want to steal from or kill him or covet something that belongs to her. The idea is that if I can fully grasp this basic truth of loving God, then everything else will find its proper place.

So to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind means loving Him with every part of our being.

Summary sentence: Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind means loving Him with every part of our being.

Tags: Loving God, Ten Commandments, His Word, heart, mind, soul

Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

SPECIAL OFFER

Your gift today, whatever the size, will bring the gospel to people through Harvest America and the outreach efforts of Harvest. 

Come with Pastor Greg on a virtual tour of Israel and the Mediterranean in this new DVD resource, the Land of Jesus / Footsteps of Paul. See in a whole new light the lands where the gospel took root and flourished—places like Jerusalem, Capernaum, Galilee, Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, and more.

This DVD will be sent to you in appreciation for your generous gift to Harvest Ministries today.

SHARE

Christianity / Devotionals / Greg Laurie Daily Devotions / Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - Oct. 1, 2012