by Pastor Afolabi Oladele

“O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. You must love him with all your heart, soul, and might. And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 6:4-6 TLB

But Jesus told him, “No! For the Scriptures tell us that bread won’t feed men’s souls: obedience to every word of God is what we need.” Matthew 4:4 TLB

Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying all the others.” Matthew 22:37-40 TLB

One day an expert on Moses’ laws came to test Jesus’ orthodoxy by asking him this question: “Teacher, what does a man need to do to live forever in heaven?” Luke 10:25 TLB

One of the teachers of religion who was standing there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The one that says, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’ “The second is: ‘You must love others as much as yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.” The teacher of religion replied, “Sir, you have spoken a true word in saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is far more important to love him with all my heart and understanding and strength, and to love others as myself, than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the Temple.” Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared ask him any more questions. Mark 12:28-34 TLB

I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Psalm 103:1 TLB

Their communications summarize into these two:

1. Thou shall love the Lord your God with all your…; and
2. Thou shall love your neighbor as yourself; but who is my neighbor?

Loving God with all your heart requires my giving Him my utmost or greatest attention, devotion and affection. I treasure Him above all earthly relationships, longings and belongings.

The mind is the continuous reality of our lives. When the body sleeps, the mind is active, dreaming through the night. Though the mind was not meant to rule over the heart, it has to be taught and made to love God affectionately. The discipline of teaching the mind is the constant watching and control of the thought life (2 Corinthians 10:4-7a AMPC); the submission of our intellect to God’s word and commands.

Willingly submitting out faculties to His teaching and guidance, as well as devoting all our achievements and all the results of all our intellectual efforts are not negotiable (Philippians 3:3-10, 17-21). The three things that are basic or fundamental principles in MAN are IDEA, DESIRE and EMOTION. They must be subject to and governed by the love of God. The capability comes strictly from the Holy Spirit – Romans 5:5. Why would you despise the Holy Spirit, rejecting His help? It is time to live a victoriously spotless life because He is coming for a spotless church. Selah.

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash