“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, RSV)
To love God in a right manner, nothing must be more important in your heart, soul, or mind than God. Nothing must be placed above God’s will. Nothing can come between you and God. Everything will be required of you. This verse of the Bible is very difficult for every person, because it requires you to put everything and everyone and even yourself in at least second place. What comes first in your life?
When I met young Christine, I was amazed at her faith. She was generous to a fault. She loved to study the Bible. She was a leader in the youth group and her church. She had a beautiful singing voice. Christine was beloved in her congregation. At the church camp where I got to know her, she was a treasured soul. When people had a need, she stepped up to help. When someone felt down, she was quick to offer a word of encouragement or a hug. However, all this changed when Christine fell head over heels for Justin. She loved him deeply. The two were inseparable. They were “the” couple many wanted to emulate. I, however, was not happy with their relationship.
The longer Christine dated Justin, the more Justin became her center of attention. Where Christine had previously been one to offer a hug to others, now her hugs were reserved for Justin. In a situation where Christine would usually volunteer to help or offer leadership, instead she held back. Justin required her attention. Over the several years that I saw Christine, I noticed that her faith began to take a back seat to Justin. Her focus left God often. Justin was the new center of her world.
While I believe it is a wonderful thing to be in love with a soul mate, that should never relegate God to second place in a person’s life. Whenever that happens, one’s world will tip out of balance. It may take time, but something will eventually go wrong. A well-balanced life should include God in the position of greatest priority. Everything else will fall into place if God is one’s first love. When Christine fell in love with Justin, God seemed to take second place. Over time, this took a toll on Christine’s faith. It also took a toll upon Justin. At first, he liked being Christine’s biggest priority. However, he soon found her attention to be too consuming. At times, he had no space. She didn’t like him spending time with his guy friends. She was jealous of his vacations away from her. Also, Christine wanted Justin to make her into his number one priority in everything in life. Over time, this seemed to suck all the fun out of Justin. While he loved Christine very much, he didn’t want to be her everything.
When your life gets out of balance, God can often slip to second or third or fifth or last place. Inevitably, this causes issues with priorities and values. Your priorities and values change when what is important changes in your life. I have found that people who stop worshiping God and start worship “things” often devalue life. People who don’t find time for God in life will often find time for bad habits, addictions, or dysfunctional relationships. Those who ignore their relationship with God will usually lose their perspective, become selfish or egotistical, and be hard to live with. That is why the rate of divorce for true Christians is much lower than the national average. When you keep God in first place in your life, other things tend to flow more smoothly. Difficulties can be managed. Fears can be overcome.
The scripture for today reminds us that Jesus required the faithful to keep God first in life. Everything else would work out better that way. To further explain this adoration of the divine, Jesus said that you should “love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, and ALL your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Do you place God first in these three areas of your life? Does God occupy the fiercest love of your heart, or is there something else you love more? Does God fill your soul up, or is your soul empty? Instead of centering on God, does your mind spin at worldly thoughts, fears, desires, passions, or emotions? What thoughts and feelings and desires control your heart, soul, and mind today? Is God’s voice able to overcome it all to place first?
I guarantee that if God slips from first place in your life, things will go awry. Don’t let this happen to you. How can you show God that HE is first in your life today? What thought, fear, or desire can God conquer for you? How might you show God that He still reigns supreme in your life?
When I met young Christine, I was amazed at her faith. She was generous to a fault. She loved to study the Bible. She was a leader in the youth group and her church. She had a beautiful singing voice. Christine was beloved in her congregation. At the church camp where I got to know her, she was a treasured soul. When people had a need, she stepped up to help. When someone felt down, she was quick to offer a word of encouragement or a hug. However, all this changed when Christine fell head over heels for Justin. She loved him deeply. The two were inseparable. They were “the” couple many wanted to emulate. I, however, was not happy with their relationship.
The longer Christine dated Justin, the more Justin became her center of attention. Where Christine had previously been one to offer a hug to others, now her hugs were reserved for Justin. In a situation where Christine would usually volunteer to help or offer leadership, instead she held back. Justin required her attention. Over the several years that I saw Christine, I noticed that her faith began to take a back seat to Justin. Her focus left God often. Justin was the new center of her world.
While I believe it is a wonderful thing to be in love with a soul mate, that should never relegate God to second place in a person’s life. Whenever that happens, one’s world will tip out of balance. It may take time, but something will eventually go wrong. A well-balanced life should include God in the position of greatest priority. Everything else will fall into place if God is one’s first love. When Christine fell in love with Justin, God seemed to take second place. Over time, this took a toll on Christine’s faith. It also took a toll upon Justin. At first, he liked being Christine’s biggest priority. However, he soon found her attention to be too consuming. At times, he had no space. She didn’t like him spending time with his guy friends. She was jealous of his vacations away from her. Also, Christine wanted Justin to make her into his number one priority in everything in life. Over time, this seemed to suck all the fun out of Justin. While he loved Christine very much, he didn’t want to be her everything.
When your life gets out of balance, God can often slip to second or third or fifth or last place. Inevitably, this causes issues with priorities and values. Your priorities and values change when what is important changes in your life. I have found that people who stop worshiping God and start worship “things” often devalue life. People who don’t find time for God in life will often find time for bad habits, addictions, or dysfunctional relationships. Those who ignore their relationship with God will usually lose their perspective, become selfish or egotistical, and be hard to live with. That is why the rate of divorce for true Christians is much lower than the national average. When you keep God in first place in your life, other things tend to flow more smoothly. Difficulties can be managed. Fears can be overcome.
The scripture for today reminds us that Jesus required the faithful to keep God first in life. Everything else would work out better that way. To further explain this adoration of the divine, Jesus said that you should “love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, and ALL your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Do you place God first in these three areas of your life? Does God occupy the fiercest love of your heart, or is there something else you love more? Does God fill your soul up, or is your soul empty? Instead of centering on God, does your mind spin at worldly thoughts, fears, desires, passions, or emotions? What thoughts and feelings and desires control your heart, soul, and mind today? Is God’s voice able to overcome it all to place first?
I guarantee that if God slips from first place in your life, things will go awry. Don’t let this happen to you. How can you show God that HE is first in your life today? What thought, fear, or desire can God conquer for you? How might you show God that He still reigns supreme in your life?