Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV) - “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

At times we can separate the idea of love from our thought life, relegating love to the realm of emotion.  Or we can see ourselves loving God during moments of corporate worship, but have trouble seeing that same song of love rising from our lives when we are doing something “intellectual” like work or studies.  But our Lord never taught us in this way.  From the beginning, He has instructed His people to love Him with all of who they are - heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Our Lord Jesus showed us what it means to love God and to love others with all of our human being, and His work makes us possible for us to live in this way.

C.S. Lewis spoke the following during BBC radio broadcast: “Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! … Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self—in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

Let’s give ourselves to the Lord today.  Let’s not see our lives as separate parcels to be given or held back from God - but let’s give Him all and every part.  Let’s ask Him to fill us with love for Him in every part - heart, soul, mind, and strength.

-BR