I received this question in my inbox this month: "Basically I have had a hard time in my life. The Bible says to love the lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength. How do I do this on practical terms? I want to get (find) closer to God. Regards..."
Greetings and thank you for asking such a great question. Allow me to role model how this verse is practically applied in my life:
First, I begin with meditation on the verse: Matthew 22:37-38:
37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment.
Then I study the text in its context using the D.I.S.C. method.
Discover the Context: 34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
Identify Key Words: LOVE | HEART | SOUL | MIND
Subject: (this is a question based on the text using only the text): What did Jesus say to the Pharisee/lawyer who asked him what the greatest commandment in the law was?
Complement: (this is the answer to the question using only the text in its original context): Jesus told the Lawyer that the greatest commandment in the law is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
Second, I break down the meaning of all the key words. This is the first time I use commentaries in my personal study. I want to know what the original words mean.
To love (25) (agapao - see related study of noun agape) means to love unconditionally and sacrificially as God Himself loves sinful men (John 3:16), the way He loves the Son (John 3:35, 15:9, 17:23, 24).
Heart (2588) (kardia) does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will. No outward obedience is of the slightest value unless the heart turns to God.
Souls (5590) (psuche or psyche from psucho = to breathe, blow, English = psychology, "study of the soul") is the breath, then that which breathes, the individual, animated creature. However the discerning reader must understand that psuche is one of those Greek words that can have several meanings, the exact nuance being determined by the context. It follows that one cannot simply select of the three main meanings of psuche and insert it in a given passage for it may not be appropriate to the given context. The meaning of psuche is also contingent upon whether one is a dichotomist or trichotomist. Consult Greek lexicons for more lengthy definitions of psuche as this definition is only a brief overview. (Click an excellent article on Soul in the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology; see also ISBE article on Soul)
TDNT writes that dianoia is the "common word for “thought” has such varied senses as (1) thought as a function, (2) the power of thought, the thinking consciousness, (3) the way of thought, (4) the result of thought, e.g., thought, idea, opinion, or judgment, (5) resolve of intention, and (6) the meaning of words or statements. The LXX uses it as an equivalent of kardia, and the usage is much the same in other Jewish works. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans)
Third, once I have been faithful to the correct handling of the text, I pray about all the practical implications of this verse in my life. This is application.
I ask myself, "am I really loving God?" Then I think of passages in 1 John where the word links obedience to loving God. Am I being obedient to God's word and yielding to the convictions of the holy spirit in my life. This morning, I felt the temptation to skip time in the word with browsing Instagram and YouTube. I was victorious this morning, but yesterday the internet "got me." I was not loving God yesterday in my laziness.
I ask myself, "am I loving God with all of my heart?" If the heart is the deepest part of my being, then God will have dominion in every area of my life.
I ask myself, "am I loving God with all my soul?" In this context, the soul is part of the thinking capacity of the person. Does God fill my thought life? Is he constantly on my mind? Do I take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ? When I love God with all my soul, I am surrendering all of my life to him. I don't even have "me time" anymore. There is no such thing. I begin and end my day with this prayer, "Lord, what are you doing today? Becuase I want to get on board with THAT! I want to please you in all I do today."
I ask myself, "am I loving God with all of my mind?" This also refers to my thought life. But I also understand this progression to be referring to the totality of the person: we are bio/psycho/socio. We are heart, soul, and mind. There are different aspects of me that make up who I am. I think this passage is covering all of the person. Therefore, have I filled my mind with God to the point where I do nothing without thinking about how it is may be linked to pleasing the Father. When I study the scriptures, I want to be faithful and diligent in studying it. I don't want to turn to commentaries early on because I don't want to take shortcuts. I want to do the work and study to show myself approved unto God. A workman that needs not to be ashamed; one who correctly handles the word of truth. That is loving God with all of my mind.
Most of all, I want to be like Jesus who's mission was to please the Father. All throughout his earthly ministry he constantly shifted his focus to doing that which pleased the Father. When people wanted him to heal, he often stopped and said, healing was not why he came, but he came to do what the Father has told him to do. To preach about the Kingdom of God. At the end of his earthly ministry, he did not even want to go to the cross! He asked, "if is it possible, may this cup pass...but not my will but your will be done!" He was constantly in line with pleasing the Father.
And that is how I want to be as well. This is what this passage looks like in practical terms. I love the Lord God with all my heart, soul, and mind. I give him all of me in my life, my study, my devotion, and in my body.
I hope this helps answer your question. Looking forward to more dialogue on this subject.
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