"The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Mark 12:29-31)
Acts 10 says of our Lord Jesus Christ that He, "went about doing good." This is the Theology of today's text.
Loving God with our hearts, souls, and minds can be subjective. Loving God, "....with all your strength," however, cannot be. Loving with "Strength" is effort, doing something, not just talking of love. This is why Biblical love is essentially a verb not a noun. If love is just a noun, it can be as meaningless as the song, "I'll Never Stop Loving You;" millions have, and do.
It is the same with our neighbors, families, friends, etc. Saying, "I love you," is good. Doing I love you is best. When we, "love...as yourself," we are doing something. We take care of ourselves, do things which will protect and preserve our lives. Today is a good day to think of ways of not just saying, "I love you," but of doing, "I love you."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray my love for You is, "with all [my] strength." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
