The Ten Commandments of God are outlined in Exodus chapter 20: the first five being our moral duties to God while the remaining 5 are our moral duties to our fellow men. Going to the New Testament, the 10 commandments were reduced or summarized to just two. They are the following:

1. Love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength, known as the greatest commandment of God.
2.  Love your neighbor as yourself.

For this study, we’re only going to tackle and discuss the first and greatest commandment of God. You must love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This passage appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark but again in this study, we are going to use Mark’s interpretation.

Mark 12:28-30 “The First and Greatest Commandment of God”

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

If we start reading from verse 18, Jesus was approached by the Sadducees and started to ask Him about the resurrection. The Sadducees were a group of religious leaders during Jesus’ time who did not believe in the resurrection, yet they were asking Jesus about it. Jesus then went on to correct their wrong notion about marriage at the resurrection. He told them plainly that at the resurrection people will neither marry nor are given in marriage.

Jesus Quoted the Shema

Jesus’  answer to the Sadducees sounded convincing to a scribe who happened to be in the crowd. And as it turned out, he had a question of his own. He wanted to know from Jesus what is the first and greatest commandment of all. As a Jewish teacher of the law, he knew very well that the Law consisted of not only 10 but 613 commandments.

And in response, Jesus essentially quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the “Shema.” (The Shema is the Jewish declaration of faith which they recite every day: morning and evening.) So by quoting the Shema, Jesus reaffirmed that the requirement for God’s people has never changed and has always been the same. And indeed, it will always be the same.

So what then does it mean to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength?

How to LOVE God with all Your Heart

In the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), Proverbs 4:23 says “The heart is the source of life.” In other translations, it says that out of the heart springs the issues of life.

Now, why does the Bible say that the heart is the source of life? Simply because it’s your heart that keeps you physically alive. So it’s referring to physical life. Remember that there are 3 aspects of life namely: physical, spiritual, and eternal.

So as long as your heart is beating and performing its normal functions, you’re alive. But once your heart fails or stops, then you’re dead! That will be the end of your physical life.

The heart being the center of our life is also the control center of all our affections. And ultimately, it’s our heart that determines what actions to pursue based on our affections.

What does it mean to love God with all your heart?

1) To love God with all your heart is to set all your affections on Him; to desire God above all else as the deer longs for streams of water (Psalm 42:1). Notice how a deer is longing for water brooks. That’s how you would long for God if you truly love Him with all your heart. You would want to always be filled with the Holy Spirit and are always longing for His presence.

2) To love God with all your heart is to make Him number 1 in your life and love Him above all else. Do you long to communicate with God every waking hour? In this generation where technology is the new “thing” nobody seems to survive anymore without access to the world of information and communication.

Today we’re living in a society where people sit across the table but do not even talk to each other. They’re so hooked on their smartphones and tablets that they seem to not care about other people around them anymore.

Love God Above Anything Else

To love God above anything or anybody else is to always make Him your number 1 priority. But how? How exactly are you going to do that? Well, if you can treasure God above anything or anyone else then you can say with confidence that you truly love God with all your heart. What or who is your priority?

A litmus test to know who or what your priorities are is to discern and identify what you treasure the most. You can easily determine where your affections lie by identifying what you treasure the most. It’s because your affections follow what you treasure. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What Can’t You Live Without?

Now ask yourself, “What do I value the most that I cannot survive without? What do I treasure so much that I cannot and will never give up?” Is it money, your job, possessions, career, or family? If you say yes to any or all of these, then it’s time to reevaluate your priorities.

Do you choose to work on Sundays instead of going to your local Church to worship God to make more money? Are you going to listen to what your friends and family tell you knowing very well that they’re contrary to God’s word? Do you want to love Jesus completely?

Then you’ll have to treasure Him supremely. Think about God’s love, His goodness, and His grace. Always remember Jesus’ sacrifice and you will never have to worry about your heart being somewhere else other than with God.

How to LOVE God with All your Soul

If the heart is the control center of all our affections, the soul is the center of all our emotional activities. Our soul literally defines who we are. The soul is the inner self; it is our identity or personality. If loving God with all our hearts has to do with affection, loving the Lord with all our souls has to do with devotion.

Note: The soul is not the same as the spirit; they are connected but separable. The spirit is the immaterial aspect of man that connects with God. It enables us to have an intimate relationship with God.

How do you love God with all your soul?

1) To love God with all your soul means to be devoted to Him completely. We are talking here of a “wholehearted devotion” to God. It means total commitment to God to the point that you are willing to surrender your life to Him completely.

2) To love God with all your soul is to be passionate about Him; to be always on fire or zealous for God and not be lukewarm (Romans 12:1). And to love God with all your soul is to obey His commandments (John 14:15). Obedience is one aspect of our Christian life where we can show God we truly love Him.

Do you want to love God with all your soul and follow him wholeheartedly? The cost of following Jesus is laid out in Luke 9:23-24. It talks about self-denial and taking up your cross daily. It means not caring about your life here on earth, your ambitions, wants, and desires, because you’re looking forward to an eternal life with Jesus.

Sacrifice Equals Obedience

The word we’re looking for here is sacrifice. Can you set aside your wishes and desires to follow God? Are you willing to suffer and give your life for the sake of the Gospel? Can you honestly say that no matter what happens and despite the persecution and ridicule you receive from people of the opposing view, you will remain faithful to God?

Are you dedicated to keeping and obeying all of God’s commandments? Even if at times you will be put in a tough spot or end up in an impossible situation as a result of your obedience? Will you continue to serve God in your ministry even if your pastors and leaders continue to disappoint you with their words and actions?

Only you can answer these questions. And remember, God hears even the softest whisper of your heart.

How to LOVE God with All your Mind

The mind is the seat or center of our intellectual life. It is the origin of our ideas, our perspective in life, and our viewpoints. God has gifted each of us with a mind of our own which gives us the capacity to think and make decisions.

The mind is an amazing gift from God, and it can be everything from fairly feeble to an incredible genius.

What does it mean to love God with all your mind?

1) To love God with all your mind is to bring your mind under the lordship of Christ and pursue a mind that seeks the truth about God. This means that your intellect and thinking must be in strict subordination to God’s revelation of Himself.

We read in 2 Corinthians 10:5 how we are instructed to destroy all arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and every thought must be taken captive to obey Christ. It’s true; we will never get to a point where we will be able to grasp everything about God completely. It’s because we are finite, we must desire to keep learning more about Him through His revelation of Himself in the Bible.

Although God’s thoughts and ways are so high we can’t fathom as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, we are to submit to Him. We do this by allowing His Word to transform us by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).

2) To love God with all your mind means submitting your mind, thought patterns, opinions, and decisions to God’s word. It means dedicating your mind to Him and not leaning on your own understanding (Proverbs. 3:5).

Often we tend to act on impulse; we make decisions according to what we think is right without consulting God first. Whenever you’re in a situation where you may need to make important and life-changing decisions, get to the Word first. You ask God, “Is this your will, Lord?” Because loving God with all your mind means you act not on what you think but in accord with the facts of the Word of God.

How to LOVE God with all Your Strength

Loving God with all our strength is perhaps the easiest to understand. Because while the heart, soul, and mind have to do with what’s on the inside of us, strength has to do with what’s on the outside of us. Strength refers to our abilities, talents, capacities, gifts, and physical powers.

In other words, strength is about what we can do and the things we have such as skills, money, and resources among many other things.

How are you to love God with all your strength?

1) Loving God with all your strength is to love Him with all your skills, abilities, money, and time.

You must surrender all these to God and use them for His glory. To love God with all your strength is to devote your capacity to God instead of being devoted to your wishes. This does not mean you cannot do stuff for yourself anymore; it just means that you devote what you have and what you do for yourself to God.

In Colossians 3:17, the word of God admonishes us to do everything in the name of Jesus our Lord with thanksgiving to God the Father through Him.

Ask yourself: What do I do with my time? What kinds of things do I read and what programs do I watch? Where do I spend time when I want to relax? What kind of entertainment do I enjoy? Is God glorified with the things I love to do and enjoy?

2) To love God with all your strength is to recognize God as your  “only” source and means for living. Let me make this clear. God is NOT a RESOURCE, He is our  “only” source. God owns everything (Psalm 24:1); your wealth, properties, and possessions including your life. Whatever you think you own belongs to God but He entrusted them to you. Now, how are you using God’s properties and money? Are you using them for God’s glory and purpose?

You may think that it’s your ability that’s making you produce wealth. You think that because you’re working as hard as you can you own what you possess and you have every right to enjoy them or do whatever pleases you. But the Word of God says it very loud and clear. It is God who gives you the power or ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).

The Old Testament vs. The New Testament

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were supposed to give 10% to God. The purpose of which was to demonstrate their love for God. They practiced tithing as a discipline to teach them that everything belongs to God. They received from God, held on to it, and then quickly gave the first part to God (Proverbs 3:9).

When we come to the New Testament, we Christians cannot do less. If you think that living under grace means you can give less, I believe that’s a mistake! We should be able to give more than just 10%, not because the Word of God compels us but because grace impels us.

3) Loving God with all your strength is not to lean on your own strength, but you use your strength as you lean by faith in Him. What does this mean? It means that you always trust in God to give you the strength to overcome any trial or difficulty. Yes, you are to make an effort but always acknowledge God to be the source of your strength because without Him, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

Every fiber of our being and every aspect of our lives are to be focused on God for He is the reason for our existence. We are living and breathing because of God’s love, mercy, and grace. In Go,d we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28a).

Related Article: Man: A Tripartite Being with Body, Soul and Spirit

Conclusion

In conclusion and closing, I would like to call your attention to how the words “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” are not condensed as in “with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”

Instead, the words “with all” are repeated with each noun to emphasize each faculty that we are to use in loving God. This strongly stresses the fact that there should be no holding back or incompleteness in our devotion and commitment to God.

We are to love God 110%. We must go all out and give it our best shot. We cannot divide our love, trust, and affection. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

So, does what you give of your money illustrate your true love for God? Does your giving of your time, talents, gifts, and strengths illustrate your true love for God? That’s between you and God.

At the end of the day, our purpose is to glorify God and to love Him with all our being. We may stumble and fall along the way but we’ll just have to live each day striving to perfectly love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.

Recommended Resource:

The Foremost Commandment: How Your Life Changes by Loving God With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength by Howard Goldwaite

In most areas of life, you start at the bottom and work your way to the top.

But when it comes to obeying God’s commandments, you start at the top and work your way down. There’s something uniquely remarkable about the commandment Jesus called the foremost of all. When you make obeying it your top priority, it helps all your other priorities fall into balance.

Similarly, when you obey the greatest commandment, you’ll find the lesser commandments tend to get obeyed right along with it. Obedience of this ultimate commandment is a Christian’s crowning achievement that you never stop achieving. And you’ll never reach your fullest spiritual potential without embracing it. If you choose to obey it, it requires giving all of yourself and every area of your life up to God.