Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Matthew 22:37
With Our whole Heart
For the Jews, the heart was used to describe the innermost part of a person where all of our motives and intents dwell. It was from a whole heart that King Hezekiah prayed, “’Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly” (Isaiah 38:3). God heard his prayer because it was from his “whole heart.” We must be careful that we “do not harden [our] hearts as in the rebellion” (Heb. 3:15) in the wilderness, as did Israel.
With Our Whole Soul
When we love the Lord with our whole soul, this means we live for Him by using our whole physical lives for His purpose. The word “soul” sounds very much like the human mind, which we call the psyche, but the word psyche in the Greek means “breath” or “the breath of life.” This same word in Greek and in Hebrew seems to be saying that the soul is the living, breathing life in us, as Jesus used it in this manner: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
With Our Whole Mind
If you dwell on things above and are in the Word of God on a daily basis, it can renew your mind (Rom. 12:2). This means that your every thought, intent, motive, and purpose involves the mind, and Jesus wants all of your mind. Our mind is what makes us decide to obey or disobey God, and when we grieve the Holy Spirit, we are suppressing the conviction of God, which puts us in a very dangerous place to be in life. God doesn’t want just part of our heart, He wants it all so we can use it all for His glory.
Conclusion
When Jesus said “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:3), He was commanding us to love God with our whole heart, with our whole soul, and with our whole mind. Since He died for us and bought us with a price, we should feel compelled to give to God all that we have and all that we are. That is our reasonable service, isn’t it?
