Thursday, July 07, 2005

Must Love?

Deuteronomy 6:5
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (NLT)
Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got! (MSG)

Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. (NLT)
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.” (MSG)

Mark 12:30
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. (NLT)
So love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy. (MSG)

Luke 10:27
… “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind….” (NLT)
… “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence….” (MSG)

No matter what version of the Word you read from, nor no matter if some scripture describes the love we must have for God as fourfold or threefold, the significance is the requirement for each one of us to give the Lord our God—Total Devotion. Get it?

What part(s) of this command are you withholding from God?
(Is God withholding any portion of His love from you?)

Why are you withholding love?
(Why do you feel God is withholding His love for you?)

Do you fear loving God with total devotion?
(Does God fear loving you with total devotion?)

Do you fearfully love God with total devotion?
(Does God deserve to be fearfully loved with total devotion?)

Who is God to you?
(Who are you to God?)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

These are good questions. Refreshing in a way. To be totally devoted would mean true freedom. I find that the sinful nature keeps wanting me to be enslaved and caged.

What part(s) of this command are you withholding from God? probably all to some degree. the flesh holds me back.
mt26:40-41 the disciples.

we fight the world, our flesh and the devil on a daily basis.
I'm sure when we get to heaven we will wish that we tried harder.