Friday, June 09, 2006

The most important question of all

Luke 10:25-28

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he
answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbour as thyself.

28 And he said unto him, Thou
hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.


Question of the day:

What does it look like to love God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and all of your strength, and all of your mind?

20 comments:

Sadie Lou said...

I think it's supposed to look like Christ when we love God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength.
We should look like Christ when we love God the way Christ did.
Look at what Christ did out of love for his Father--he laid down his life, he trusted Him, he prayed to him, praised and worshipped Him and gave the glory ALL TO HIM.

To me, love for the Father, is to be like Christ.

sdixon82 said...

Oh that's easy. You guys can come over for dinner sometime and we'll teach you how.

Swinging Sammy said...

lol sarah.
I think it looks like Jesus, no one has ever come close to His example.

Peter Wantstobe said...

Way to go Scott.
I have been trying to memorize scripture, different verses that move me when I'm in Church. Trying is the key word. What comes to mind during the day?

....and the greatest of these is love.

As God's chosen people, both holy and dearly loved. Clothe yourself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

You know the interesting thing about this is the more I study the Bible the more it tells "me" what to do. I don't hear it telling other people how to live?

God is good, All the time.
Love Dad

Swinging Sammy said...

I recognize the first one (1 Cor 13:13), but what is the reference for the second?

Scott said...

Colossians 3:12

It's interesting that it says that we ought to do those things because we are holy, not so we will be holy.

Peter Wantstobe said...

Yes I agree, when I was learning the verse it was soo awkward to call myself holy? I guess we are because we have the Holy Spirit is in us. Either case it makes me think about it, and my actions.
Great verse for me.

~~~Emily Mae~~~ said...

Dad i think you are amazing.
I think it looks good to love
God with all my heart and accept God into my heart and beieve that he is my savior and one true God. By the way I think you are the best Daddy in the whole wide world.

I think that when you accept God into your heart your soul and your mind I think it brings happiness and joy into you.

love Emily

Um do I get any points dada?

Sadie Lou said...

Um do I get any points dada?

cuteness overload!

stc said...

It's interesting that it says that we ought to do those things because we are holy, not so we will be holy.

Here's an explanation. The root meaning of the word "holy" is other. The notion that God is holy begins with the fact that he is unlike any other thing or person.

A person who has an encounter with the living God is overwhelmed by the feeling that there are no words to describe this being: no analogy that accurately communicates God's nature. And the only word appropriate to that situation is "holy, holy, holy".

From that comes the secondary meaning of "holy": one of the ways in which God is unlike us is in his moral perfection. "In him there is no sin" (1Jn. 3:5, said of Christ). By comparison, in us there is lots of sin!

When the New Testament calls us "holy", it means, first of all, that we are not like other (unbelieving) people. Peter's comment is at least partly right: a key difference between believers and unbelievers is that believers are regenerate, given a different kind of life by the Holy Spirit.

Because we are not like other people, we shouldn't behave like them. Hence the root meaning of "holy" (=other) shades over into the secondary meaning of "holy" (=right conduct).

As for the question, what does it mean to love God will all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength? —

Jesus is the perfect example, of course. But Paul is a close second: an ordinary human being who set aside self-interest to devote himself 100% to the mission that God had called him to. In just a word or two, "love" equals "selflessness" and (even better) God-centeredness.

Crystal Starr said...

I don't think I ever really thought about this question before. What it looks like FOR ME to love God with all of my heart, soul, strength, and mind is this.

I think one of the big things in this verse is "all of YOUR strength". That is really standing out to me right now. I think that it means to love God as best we can with our own strength, mind, soul, and heart. I’ll try to explain that a little bit later in this comment.

So anyway as I was saying FOR ME this is what it looks like. I love God MORE than anything or person on this earth. I am so glad that I can HONESTLY say that and know it. As I told you before my Dad has always taught me this truth my whole life that God HAS to be first. He is above, your spouse, and your children. He would ask me if I love God more than I love you or my kids. So when we lived in Genoa and I would have that long drive to drive home I would ask myself this same question. "Do I love God more than my husband and kids?" I came to the conclusion that YES, YES I DO! Part of it is because I fear God. The other part is that if I ever lost you or one of our children it would be nearly unbearable for me. But if there was no God and if somehow I lost God (which I know I can't but just bear with me) that would truly be the most unbearable thing to me EVER. I could not imagine my life with out Him. Not even for a second. This is one way that I know I love God more than anything.

I can honestly say that I live and breathe Christ. This does not mean that I never sin or do anything wrong. I mean He is ALWAYS on my mind I am ALWAYS talking to Him, thinking of Him, wanting Him, asking myself if I should be doing what I am doing. Even in my sins God is there. I mean as I am sinning and I hear God tugging and pulling at my heart telling me this is wrong Crystal. And even when I don't listen to Him, He is still there in me teaching me, loving me, tugging at me. Even when I try to push him out so I can satisfy my flesh He is still there. I can't get rid of Him and I don't want to! He is in me living and breathing and whispering and yelling at me and all of that. He is there do that because He loves me, because I love Him with all of my strength.

That is what I think it looks like to love God with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

FOR ME to love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength means I know that I can never love Him as perfectly as Jesus did. But I can love Him as much as my strength allows and I want to build my strength in Him so I can love Him MORE!

Does this make any sense? I can begin to even type what it looks like to love God with all that I am. I feel that I just can’t explain to you what is in my heart and the emotion that is gushing through my body as I type this as I am filled with love and excitement for my Heavenly Father. I am just bursting with Joy!! I am saved, I am SAVED! And I don’t deserve to be I deserve Hell! I am saved.

Swinging Sammy said...

"I can't begin to even type what it looks like"

I think you did a great job of it! You and Scott are just phenomenal at puting into words what you feel. It is a wonderful gift. thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Isn't it funny how some things with the most simple answers are either the most difficult or impossible to actually fullfill?

Here's a kicker: Was Jesus Posse non Peccare or Non Posse Peccare (able not to sin or not able to sin.) eh. eh?

Crystal Starr said...

When are you going to post your answer Scottie?

Crystal Starr said...

*yawn*

~~~Emily Mae~~~ said...

When are you going to think about how many points I get???

:oP

love emily

Swinging Sammy said...

yeah, I am looking forward to the tomato points awards too!

sdixon82 said...

me too...

Sadie Lou said...

does anyone else think it's weird that Scott totally pretends this post doesn't exist?
*enter X-Files music*
??

Crystal Starr said...

Yes I do!!!!! I think that this is strange, very strange in deed......hmmmmm.....

Emily and I also noticed that she isn't on the point board yet either. We both think this is so RUDE!

=oP

Well Scott what do you have to say for yourself??????