Thank you for checking out the blog this week. We are going to be continuing are look at being “wholly devoted” and what that means in our everyday Christian life. If you have not had the opportunity to read part 1 be sure to go back and read it (click here to check out part 1). In part 1 we provide our definition of “wholly devoted, ” and were introduced to the two keys to being wholly devoted to Christ.
We discovered in our last post that Jesus provided us with the blueprint to fulfill the statutes (or laws) of God which in turn help us in our journey of being wholly devoted followers of Christ. The blueprint is found in Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
There is so much in those few verses, but today we are going to dealing with the first part of the verse “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART.” As a believer in Christ, what does it look like to love God with our heart?
Heart: The Springs of Life
The Greek word for heart is καρδία; it is defined as “the affective center of our being” and the capacity of moral preference.” The Bible says in Provers 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” If from our heart flow the springs of life as the Bible says then it would make sense that we are to love God with all of our heart. Jesus knows this and is going right to the center of the issue when he starts with our heart.
Our devotion to something or someone is dictated by our heart; we are driven by what is in our heart which is why we are to watch over our heart with care. As our definition states, it is the center of our being, and it is our capacity of moral preference. Our heart is the foundation from which everything else is built. As Christ-followers, we are to live a life submitted to the Lordship of Christ, but that can only be done if we first love God with all of our heart.
So how do we love God with our all of our heart?
Key 1: To love God with all of our heart it must be entirely surrendered to Him.
Surrender is defined as “to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another.” It is one of the hardest things that you will ever do in life. To surrender means that you are going to give up your heart, your being, your “capacity of moral preference” to Christ. If we are honest with ourselves, it is a problem to surrender to Christ because you are essentially giving him complete control over you.
So when Jesus told them to love God with all of their heart, he was saying to them that they must surrender their heart to the will of God. Jesus is extending the same thing to us, is the same thing he is asking us to do, to be wholly devoted we must willingly surrender our heart to Christ.
Daron, your post reminds me of a book by David Bonner called “Surrender to Love” where he echos your thoughts. Surrendering your heart to God is surrendering to love. A love that makes you totally accepted and welcomed by the Father. Surrendering is a touchy subject because so many time authority is abused and manipulative. But not so with God. We can surrender to Him, not just because he is perfect and holy, but also because he longs for our greatest good. For all my unbelief, I can surrender to a God who doesn’t let my failures and doubts keep him from loving me. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for reading my blog post. I also appreciate the feedback! I have not read that book, I may need to check it out.