Any avid student of God’s word understands that Matthew 22:37 is, undoubtedly, one of the most significant and central verses in the entire Bible. Due to the fact that Christ in one verse sums up all of the requirements that man has towards God into one command, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (NASB). One can only sit back and marvel at the Lord’s innate ability to say so much with so few words. In one simple commandment we learn what is required of each and every person who desires an intimate relationship with God. In one commandment we learn the key attribute needed for one to live the kind of life that is pleasing and acceptable to God. In one commandment we learn about the focal point of our faith and also the scope of our relationship with God. Our love for him should impact every area and space within our inner man.
Essentially, what Christ is teaching in this command is that God is displeased with half-heartedness. Love for God should have a strong effect on a person’s “mind” — meaning that one’s love for God should impact one’s thinking faculties, thoughts and purposes. Love for God should have a strong impact on one’s “soul” – meaning that followers of Christ, believers of God, need to be willing to give their souls to God in service and in worship. However, God wants our love for Him to impact another part of our inner being which is the main focus of this article; our “hearts” – meaning that God wants our love for him to fully resonate in the part of our being where our affections reside, the seat of our emotions. To me, this is an interesting point that deserves some attention because it teaches us that God loves us so much that he doesn’t want a relationship that is merely intellectual. He wants our relationship to venture into the emotional realm of our hearts.
In the same way in which we are emotionally tied to our spouses, children and friends, God wants us to be emotionally tied to Him. Thus, when I sin against God, there should be an emotional response. This emotional response originates from my love for God, and thereby, should result in shame and remorse. Moreover, when I am away from God for any sustained period of time, there should also be an emotional response. There should be a sense of longing and desire to be reunited with Him in the same way I would feel if I were away from a loved one or from family for any sustained period of time. If we truly love God whole-heartedly, like his words encourage us to in situations like these, along with any others that we can think of, shouldn’t our souls cry out to God due to our strong emotional tie to Him? Thus, the question that I think we should ask ourselves is simply this; does it? Does my Christianity and relationship with God affect my heart? Does it affect my emotions? Or does my relationship with God only resonate in my mind and intellect? This verse, along with many others, I believe state the unavoidable fact that the kind of Christian that God is truly pleased with is that one that has both a strong intellectual and emotional connection to Him. Therefore, understanding this fact should compel us to do all that we can to strive to develop a Christianity that is truly from the heart.
— Brother Sam Barclay
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