Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.”
Matthew 22:37 - MSG
It seemed like a trite saying at the moment, but the preacher said, “I looked it up in the Greek, and all means all.”
Jesus was being asked what the greatest commandment was. His answer? To love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. All our passion. All our desires. All our thoughts, our will, and our emotions.
Hhhmmm… I wonder if we do that.
Jesus was quoting from what we now call the Old Testament, specifically Deuteronomy 6:5, when He responded to the religious leaders who were trying to trap Him with their questions. His answer was clear: God isn't looking for superficial devotion or mechanical obedience to a list of religious rules. He calls us to love Him wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.
And that's a pretty tall order, isn't it?
Think about it. We're talking about giving God our all—our plans, our ambitions, our desires, our decisions, and even the things we struggle to surrender. It's allowing Him into every part of our lives, not just the parts we find convenient to give Him.
Jesus called this the greatest commandment because our relationship with God is foundational to the life He calls us to live. As we grow in our relationship with Him, our hearts and desires begin to change. We learn to see people differently, respond with greater compassion, and live out the love He is developing within us.
And this brings us to the second great commandment: to love others as ourselves.
There's a reason the cross is such a powerful picture of these two commandments. The vertical beam reminds us of our relationship with God, while the horizontal beam reminds us of our relationship with those around us. Our love for God and our love for others belong together.
But here's the thing: we don't have to manufacture this love on our own. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). As we surrender ourselves to Him, we make room for His love to shape us, fill us, and flow through us. What He pours into our lives begins to overflow into the lives of the people we meet.
And that's where giving our all becomes more than a commandment. It becomes a way of life.
Today, as you go about your day, think about that little word all. Giving our all isn't a suggestion. It's a command. But we don't answer that command by simply trying harder. We answer it by surrendering to the One who loves us completely and by trusting Him to work in us and through us.
The world desperately needs the love of Christ. As we give our all to Him, let's allow His love to overflow into the lives of others.
Let's see if we can do our part by giving our all.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that You are worthy of our whole hearts. Today, we surrender our passions, our thoughts, our desires, our plans, and our will to You. Forgive us for the times we've given You only a portion of ourselves instead of our all.
Teach us to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Fill us with Your presence until Your love overflows from us to those around us.
Lord, when it is difficult to trust, help us surrender. When it is difficult to love, help us remember how deeply we are loved by You. Teach us to walk in wholehearted obedience, not simply by trying harder, but by drawing closer to You each day.
May our lives reflect Your love in everything we say and do. Help us love You completely and love others as You have called us to love them.
In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen…
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