A Radical Little Word
Scripture Reading — Mark 12:28-31
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart ... soul ... mind and ... strength." Mark 12:30
When Jesus commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, there's a little word that challenges me to the core. It's that word all.
What does it mean to invest all my emotional energy into loving God? How do I invest all of my thinking into loving God? How do I love God with all my strength?
I do love God. But I also know myself. And when I really think about what it means to love God with everything in me, I have to admit there's something in me that hesitates. Do I dare to jump into his arms? If I give God everything, what will he do with me?
This command has a way of exposing our deep desire for control. We love God, but we also love the feeling of being in the driver's seat of our lives and we don't want to hand over the keys.
In my sense of helplessness to love God fully, I remember the One who spoke these words. What helps me is that Jesus not only spoke these words but also lived by them. I may not have it in me to love this way, but Jesus did. He went to the cross for you and me. The starting point on this journey of love is with Jesus, and he gives us the ability to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. What a Savior!
Dear Jesus, what a privilege it is to journey through this life with you. Thank you for inviting me to embrace you as my Lord and Savior. I love and honor you. Amen.
About the author — Kevin DeRaaf
Kevin DeRaaf is the director of Resonate Global Mission, the Christian Reformed mission agency working in more than 40 countries around the world. With a focus on encouraging others to join in God’s mission where they are, Kevin believes that God’s purpose for the local church is to shine as a community of love and grace, showing in tangible ways that Jesus is the hope of the world. He and his wife, Jacquie, have three children and four grandchildren and live in Burlington, Ontario.
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