Loving God, Whole Heart & All 2016.10.20
I can't think of anyone who simply wants to live life passively... We want passion in our hearts & God knows that . Think of the many things that people spend their time & energy into, from hobbies to relationships. We look for things to captivate us & bring us a sense of fulfillment.
And that's probably why the most important commandment for mankind involves the heart.
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 12:30
What does it mean to love God with all our hearts & how do we do this?
Our heart contains powerful & motivated forces - emotions, affections & desires. Something that motivates your heart can be good or bad for us. These emotions can make us do some incredible things, but also some of the dumbest things as well.
Our heart causes us to follow what we Treasure.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
Jesus used the word "treasure" - something that needs to be searched for, and when we discover it, our heart becomes involved. It's also funny when that the word "treasure" comes first, followed by "heart".
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his
joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:44
Our heart will show us what we treasure. And in order for our heart to love Jesus completely, it has to treasure Him supremely. But we need to be honest with ourselves - Do we truly want God as our treasure?
Saul of Tarsus didn't. He was committed to fighting God, he would have Christians hunted down & killed. And yet, God became the treasure of his life. He was a powerful & learned man, and yet nothing held value to him outside of Him.
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:8
It's a heart-issue if our walk with God is lethargic. What are our affections focused upon?
