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The Lord Jesus said in Mark 12:30:
“And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.”
What does it mean to love the Lord from our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind, and our whole strength? Do we even have the ability to love Him with our whole being like this?
In this post, we’ll briefly discuss what it means to love God with our entire being using verses and notes from the New Testament Recovery Version.
We have to admit that although we love God to some extent, He’s not the only One we love, and sometimes He's not the One we love the most. Many other things tug at our heart. So how can we obey the Lord’s command to love Him with all our heart?
The Lord is well aware that we aren’t capable of such love by ourselves. We need to realize that when God makes a demand, He intends to meet that demand for us. So in 1 John 4:19 we can see our love for God originates from God Himself:
“We love because He first loved us.”
Note 1 on this verse in the New Testament Recovery Version says:
“God first loved us in that He infused us with His love and generated within us the love with which we love Him and the brothers (vv. 20-21).”
God is the actual source of our love for Him. He loved us first, and He infused us with His love. To infuse means to fill, to pervade, even to soak. We're being soaked with the love of God! Now the love of God in us is the love with which we can love Him in return.
Love isn’t merely a feeling. God is love. God loves us and became a man named Jesus Christ. He demonstrated His love for us to the uttermost by dying on the cross. No wonder when we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, our hearts responded to His love, and we opened to receive Him as our Savior. From that day on, we began to love the Lord with the love He infused into us.
As we enjoy God’s love, we’ll love Him in return more and more.
Loving the Lord with our whole being begins from our heart. In a previous post, we talked about what the heart is according to the Bible. We may think our heart is simply the seat of our emotions. But we can see from the Bible that it's more than that.
Our emotion is a part of our heart, but our heart also includes our mind, will, and conscience. Our feelings, thoughts, decisions, and the sense of condemnation or guilt we feel when we’ve done something wrong all arise from our heart.
God is a loving God, and He created us with a heart so that we would love Him wholly and absolutely. But in our experience, we know our heart loves many other things besides God.
So what do we do? Simply trying not to love those things doesn't work. But the apostle Paul wrote this reassuring word in 2 Corinthians 3:15-16:
“A veil lies on their heart; but whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
When our heart is turned away from the Lord and set on things such as sins, selfish preoccupations, and worldly pleasures, it has a veil on it. We can’t see the Lord.
But when we turn our heart to Him, the veil is removed, and we can see the Lord again. We see His beauty, His virtues, and how wonderful He is. Then He infuses more of what He is, including love, into us. In this way, our love for Him grows.
We can turn our hearts to the Lord Jesus at any time by praying to Him, calling on His name, confessing our sins to Him, and spending time in His Word. These simple practices can remove the veil from our heart, restore our fellowship with the Lord, and rekindle our love for Him.
[[Free Study Bible]]
Our soul is composed of our mind, emotion, and will, and so it's a large part of our heart. God created our soul so we could express Him, but because of mankind's fall, we express ourselves. We have our own opinions, feelings, and decisions that are independent of God.
But when we turn our hearts to the Lord, our love for Him grows. As He infuses Himself into us, His thoughts become our thoughts, His feelings become our feelings, and His decisions become our decisions.
As He does His transforming work in us, we spontaneously begin to express God and glorify Him. Others will see Christ expressed in us as we love Him with our whole soul.
Our mind is the leading part of our soul. It directs the rest of our being and influences what we love and what we choose. It can be set on many things. But God wants our mind to be set on the spirit, where Christ is.
Romans 8:6 says:
“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.”
When we set our mind on the flesh or fleshly things, we feel lifeless and uneasy because we’re turned away from Christ in our spirit. But when we set our mind on our spirit, we’re peaceful and full of life. By setting our mind on our spirit, our whole being is focused on God.
One way to set our mind on the spirit is to read the Bible. God’s Word reveals who Christ is to us. When we use our mind to read the Word, we see more of the Lord’s preciousness. For instance, when we read in the four Gospels about the kind of life the Lord Jesus lived, the words of life He spoke, and how He cared for all kinds of people, we're filled with appreciation for Him. The more we consider Him, the more we love Him.
Our whole strength refers to the physical strength of our body. When we turn our heart to the Lord and set our mind on Him, our body will follow.
As love for the Lord pervades our heart and soul, even the outward actions of our body will be affected. Our attitude toward the things that used to occupy our time, interest, and energy will also change. We love the Lord and want more of Him. So even our physical strength, that is, our time and energy, will be spent on pursuing Christ.
To love God with our whole being is an exercise. We don’t always wake up in the morning with our heart inclined toward the Lord. But we can start the day by turning our hearts to our dear Lord Jesus. We can say, “Lord Jesus, I turn my heart to You this morning. I love You!” We can tell the Lord we love Him every single day.
We can also pray, “Lord Jesus, cause me to love You more today than I did yesterday. I want to love You with my whole being.” He will surely answer such a prayer.
To read more about our heart, we highly recommend chapter 8, “Dealing with the Heart and the Spirit” in The Economy of God. You can download this book for free here.
You can also read more notes on the verses quoted in this post in the New Testament Recovery Version, which you can get for free here if you live in the United States.
If you search online for heart, you’ll find millions of articles on the physical heart, complete with photos and diagrams. You can read detailed explanations of its function in the body and how it works. You’ll also find an abundance of information on caring for your heart so you can live longer.
But we also know we have a heart that’s different from the physical organ pumping blood through our body. We consider that heart to be the source of feelings like love, compassion, loyalty, or sorrow.
But what does the Bible say about our heart? In this post, we'll look at what the heart is according to God's Word, and the importance of our heart in our relationship with the Lord.
In a previous post we discussed how God created us with three parts: spirit, soul, and body. So where does our heart fit in?
The Bible defines our heart across many verses, not just in one single verse. It can be easy to miss. But if we pay close attention, we can see the Word of God doesn't say that our heart is a fourth, separate part of our being.
Instead, it shows us our heart is a composition of all three components of our soul—our mind, emotion, and will—plus the most important part of our spirit—our conscience. Let's take a look at some key verses that reveal this.
“And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?”
Thinking is an activity of the mind, but the Lord Jesus asked the scribes why they were thinking evil things in their hearts. This shows that our mind is part of our heart.
“Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart.”
To purpose is to decide strongly to do something, which is an exercise of our will. So this verse shows that our will is part of our heart.
“Therefore you also now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.”
Rejoicing is related to our emotion, but here we see that our heart rejoices. This shows us that our emotion is also part of our heart.
“Let us come forward to the Holy of Holies with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience indicates that our conscience is also part of our heart.
This is further confirmed by the phrase “if our heart blames us” in 1 John 3:20. Since our conscience is what blames, or condemns, us when we’ve done something wrong, this verse also makes it very clear that our conscience is part of our heart.
[[Free Study Bible]]
The verses above show us that our heart does much more than we might have thought. In addition to sensing the wide range of human emotions, our heart thinks, decides, and perceives right from wrong.
Now let's look at two reasons why the function of our heart is so important.
Jesus said in Mark 12:30:
“And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart.”
If we didn’t have a heart, we couldn’t sense love or love in return. God created us with a heart so we could have a loving relationship with Him. So in a very real sense, our heart is at the center of our relationship with God.
Besides being the center of our relationship with God, our heart is also the gateway of our whole being.
In the book The Economy of God, author Witness Lee explains this role. On page 75, Lee says:
“Our relationship with the Lord is always begun and maintained by the heart. Of course, to contact the Lord is a matter of the spirit, but this must be initiated and maintained by the heart, for our heart is the gateway of our whole being.”
For our heart to be the gateway of our entire being means what we allow in and out is determined by our heart. For example, we can close our heart to certain people and open it to others.
Continuing on page 75, Lee says:
“In other words, the heart becomes both the entrance and the exit of our being. Whatever enters into us must enter through the heart. Whatever comes out from us must proceed through the heart.”
When we consider our experience of salvation, this point becomes clear to us. As we heard how the Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we were convicted of our sinfulness; at the same time, we began to appreciate Jesus and what He did for us. We sensed the depth and sweetness of His love for us. So we opened the doors of our heart to believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior. At that time, we received Him in our spirit and were born again with His divine life. But it was our heart that was first touched and opened to let Him in.
We were created by God in such a marvelous way! We have a spirit to contact, receive, and contain Him as life, and a heart to love Him. He wants to be our life and He wants us to love Him with our whole heart.
As we read in the first excerpt above, our relationship with the Lord is begun by our heart. It’s also maintained by our heart. This is why the condition of our heart is so important.
With any relationship, when a problem arises, we need to address it. We shouldn't think the problem will go away by itself. Maybe we have a certain attitude toward the other person, or certain negative thoughts about them. Maybe we’ve said or done something that hurt the other person, but we’re unwilling to make amends. To leave such things unresolved can only result in damaging the relationship.
In the same way, in order for us to be in harmony with the Lord and enjoy a loving relationship with Him, we need to address any problem that arises between us and the Lord. Such problems are always on our side and involve our heart.
In fact, many difficulties in our Christian life that prevent us from progressing are really issues in our heart—that is, in our mind, emotion, will, or conscience.
For instance, we might have a problem in our heart because our thoughts about a certain matter don't match the Lord’s thoughts. Or maybe the feelings we have toward someone don't correspond with the Lord’s feelings. Perhaps we insist on going our own way because our stubborn will is hardened. Or we may have a problem in our conscience because we haven't dealt with things that have offended and displeased the Lord. With our heart in such a state, how can our relationship with the Lord be sweet and harmonious?
Now we can see how important it is to be aware of the condition of our heart in order to maintain our loving and warm relationship with the Lord. When a problem arises between us and the Lord, we can simply turn our heart to Him and pray, “Lord Jesus, I open my heart to You. I don’t want anything to come between You and me. I love You, Lord.”
In this post we’ve briefly discussed what the heart is according to the Bible. To learn about how to address the condition of our heart, we encourage you to read chapters 6-8 of The Economy of God by Witness Lee. You can download this tremendously helpful book from anywhere in the world here.
We also encourage you to explore these specific posts to learn about much-needed healthy practices to care for our heart: How to Keep Our New Heart Pure, Loving, and Soft toward the Lord and What Does It Mean to Love God with All Your Heart?
And if you live in the US, you can read the verses mentioned in this post with their accompanying insightful notes in the New Testament Recovery Version by ordering a free copy here.
Because the Lord Jesus died for our sins, when we believed in Him, we were forgiven and washed of all traces of our sins. We shouldn't feel troubled by what we did or who we were before we were saved. We must be very clear about this.
But when we were saved, we also became a new person in the Lord with a new life. We were born again with the life of God. From that point on, we have a new life, and we should also have a new living.
If we continue to live the way we did before we were saved, the things of our past life will hold us back. To progress in our Christian walk, we need to put an end to our old way of life so we’re no longer under its influence.
So how do we do this?
Before we were saved, our conscience was somewhat dull. One of the first things that happens after we believe is that our conscience is sensitized. So while certain things didn’t bother us before, we now realize they're sinful, unrighteous, or immoral. Without having to consult with others, we spontaneously know what’s displeasing to God in our living.
For example, perhaps our old life included using crude language. Maybe we even took the Lord’s name in vain without feeling like anything was wrong. But after we were saved, we began to have an uneasy feeling whenever we talked like that. This uneasy feeling comes from our conscience. If we go along with our conscience by ceasing to use such language, we’ll feel peaceful. Our old way of talking will no longer be one of the things that holds us back in our Christian walk.
Now, let's look at some examples in the New Testament of how the believers dealt with their old way of life in a thorough way in order to grow in Christ. These examples will help us see what displeases the Lord and help us go forward with Him.
The first and most important thing we should rid ourselves of is any kind of idol or objects related to an idol. First Thessalonians 1:9 says:
“You turned to God from the idols to serve a living and true God.”
Idols are lifeless images or objects, which are in contrast to the living and true God. They can include many things, like paintings or sculptures. God does not tolerate idols. For us to hold onto an idol is a serious matter. Our God is a jealous God who wants us to worship and love Him alone, the unique living and true God.
Even possessing an idol for any reason or having an inclination in our heart toward one is objectionable to God. The apostle John warned the believers in 1 John 5:21:
“Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”
We have to be decisive and absolute when it comes to an idol. It’s not sufficient just to put it out of sight. To be free from their effect, idols and anything pertaining to superstitious practices, such as fortune telling or horoscopes, need to be completely eradicated from our lives. And it’s best not to sell or give these things away.
We must immediately and thoroughly forsake anything related to idols after we believe in Christ. Even if you don’t think you have any idols around you, it’s good to take a moment to pray about this matter. You can pray:
“Lord Jesus, I don’t want to have any idols. I love You. Lord, show me if I have any idols or superstitious things that You want me to remove from my life.”
[[Free Study Bible]]
In Acts 19, the apostle Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in the city of Ephesus. Verses 19 and 20 gives an account of what the people did after they believed in Jesus:
“And a considerable number of those who practiced magic brought their books together and burned them before all; and they counted up the price of them and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. Thus, the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”
Paul didn’t tell the Ephesian believers, “Now that you’re saved, you must destroy these books.” They took this action not because of an outward commandment, but as a result of the inward work of the Holy Spirit who lived in them. Their experience of God’s salvation was strong and motivated them to forsake and burn these wicked books that were once precious to them. They wouldn’t even sell them. Their absolute separation from these books freed them. And the result of their action was that the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
This example of the Ephesian believers shows us that improper objects should be eradicated from our lives. Things that are sinful or filthy—pornographic material, indecent clothing, gambling paraphernalia, items related to drug and alcohol abuse, immoral books and pictures, and things related to witchcraft and magic—should all be destroyed. A thorough clearance of even the remnants of our godless life will release us from the hold of our old way of life. Related to this matter, you can pray:
“Lord Jesus, make my conscience sensitive. Shine on anything improper or filthy in my life, Lord. Help me rid myself of these things so I can go on with You in an unhindered way.”
Luke 19:2-10 records the story of Zaccheus, a tax collector who met the Lord Jesus as He passed through Jericho.
It was common for tax collectors in those days to extort money from people by over-assessing their property or income and taking the excess for themselves. Because of this, they were hated and despised.
But the Lord spoke to Zaccheus and told him that He would come to stay in his house. Zaccheus received the Lord, rejoicing, and said to Him:
“Behold, the half of my possessions, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore four times as much.”
After meeting the Lord Jesus, Zaccheus was convicted of his sins, especially of extorting money from people. He professed his desire to repay them fourfold and give half of all he had to the poor. The Lord didn’t command him to do this. When Zaccheus met Jesus, he instantly knew what he should do to make restitution to anyone he cheated and turn away from his former dishonest way of living.
So how does the example of Zaccheus relate to us today? The Spirit within us makes us conscious of what we need to clear up from our past. Perhaps we need to repay money we borrowed from someone long ago. Or maybe we need to return items we took from our workplace. If we allow the Lord to speak to us, we’ll know what we need to deal with and how to do it.
We can seek the Lord concerning how to repay our debts, trusting Him to help us make things right, by praying:
“Lord, if I owe anything to anyone, show it to me. Lead me how to repay my debts.”
Ephesians 4:22 says:
“That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit.”
Our former manner of life is a broad term that refers to how we previously conducted ourselves in every aspect of our life. It includes things like who we associated with, how we spoke, how we dressed, where we went, how we spent our time, how we spent our money, and so on.
After we’re saved, our whole manner of life should change from what it was before.
If we open to the Lord about this, we may realize there are many things in our living that are unsuitable for a child of God. For example, perhaps we wore certain kinds of clothing before we were saved. But after we believe in the Lord, we feel uneasy when we wear those clothes. In that case, we should go along with this feeling, which is the Lord within us, and either alter the clothing or replace it with something else.
We need to ask the Lord to show us if there's anything displeasing to Him in our living. As He speaks to us, we should respond to Him, discontinuing certain practices and activities from our former life.
How we deal with our old way of life isn’t according to some sort of outward regulation. It’s a matter of being sensitive and obedient to God’s life within us. So we should bring this matter to the Lord Himself. We don't need to try to figure out what things might be a problem on our own.
The One we received as our Savior and who is now living in our spirit is full of feeling. He’s also very definite and specific concerning anything that doesn't match Him. We can open our hearts to the Lord and ask Him to point out anything still present in our living that is offensive or displeasing to Him. We can pray:
“Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me. I want You to grow in me without any hindrance from my old life. Lord, show me any improper things in my living that frustrate me from going on with You. Help me remove them completely from my life.”
The Lord Jesus will surely answer this prayer. He will reveal the things from our former life that impede us in our Christian walk. By cooperating with the Lord to put an end to them, we can go on and experience Christ every day.
To learn more about being sensitive to God’s life within us, we recommend reading chapter 17 titled “The Fellowship of Life and the Sense of Life,” in The Economy of God. You can download this free e-book here.
