The greatest commandment ever issued was powerfully but simply expressed by Jesus our Lord and Savior when He declared to the people, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…” (Mark 12: 30) These divine directions were graciously given that they might help guide mankind towards the path to paradise. They also echo the inspirational instructions given by Moses to the Children of Israel as they were embarking on their desert journey towards the joyfully anticipated and much longed for promised land when he said, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6: 5)
In Jesus’ instructions, as well as Moses’, they focused on the essence and core of our very being, referencing all of the components that make up who we truly are by individually listing our heart, soul, mind and strength, in that order. However, each component is preceded by the word “all”, indicating our iron-clad requirement to submit, commit and dedicate the entirety of our being completely to God the Father.
Interestingly enough, each list starts off citing the heart first. Jesus, as well as Moses, knew that the condition of our hearts was a priority issue. But just to keep it straight and keep the honor and glory where it belongs, Jesus knew this before Moses knew it because Jesus was before Moses. In fact, Jesus was before any of the prophets, priests or patriarchs. He confirmed this fact Himself right after the incident where He had rescued and forgiven the woman caught in the act of adultery. It was during His address to a group of non-believers that were disputing His deity while He was teaching in the temple in Jerusalem.
As Jesus was trying to enlighten them, they were unwilling to accept His divinity, so they attempted to give Abraham the glory by condescendingly stating, “Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest Thou Thyself?” (John 8: 53) In other words they were saying, who do You think You are? Jesus confidently responded, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.” (John 8: 56) Now how do you think that news was received? To say they were more confused and upset is probably an understatement. “Then said the Jews unto Him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?” (John 8: 57) to which Jesus replied, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8: 58) OH YES! GLORY TO GOD!!!!!
Now the people had a real problem and that problem was a matter of the heart. As the Prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17: 9) Their unbelieving, obstinate, rebellious, hard and cold hearts prevented them from seeing who Jesus really was. That’s because a heart on its own is incapable of being right or helping itself. Only an uncontaminated, unpolluted and untainted heart fashioned by the Father of lights can see the glorious things reserved for and observed by spiritual eyes. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5: 8) The Lord loves this kind of heart and that is why He is continually looking for ways to astonish and amaze those with righteous hearts. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” (2 Chronicles 16: 9) But we need a lot of help and only God can handle the human heart. Only He can strengthen, comfort, heal, and purify that which has been ruined by sin.
HE CAN STRENGTHEN: “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart…” (Psalm 27: 14)
HE CAN COMFORT: “Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” (2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17)
HE CAN HEAL: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147: 3)
HE CAN PURIFY: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51: 10)
He is not in the business of distributing inferior products, therefore He will not revamp it, reconstruct it or rebuild it. He will actually convert it by completely changing it’s nature from stone to flesh. “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11: 19-20)
Now how much of a change is that?! But what He is really speaking of is changing from carnal to spiritual. And when He does this you will no longer be the old creature that instinctively sinned, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5: 17) nor the old man who was slave to sin, “…put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4: 22-24) You will have a new and different heart that delights itself in serving God.
Now the question is what will you do with this new heart that God has given you.
You can be a good person and do the right thing as King Amaziah did, but that’s not enough when it comes to serving God. “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.” (2 Chronicles 2: 25) We can never do enough to deserve this second chance at life (many more for most of us) that God has given us. It is only because we were created and loved by a compassionate, merciful, kind, generous and gracious God that we have access to this salvation by faith. And the ability to have that faith was given to us as well.
Jesus always spoke to the people inquisitively about where their faith was. That means He was looking for something that should have been there. And since faith in God is a good thing and all good things come from God, then faith is something that was given to us from God that we’ve squandered. Even then, He still loves us and continues to make provision for us. “And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24: 7)
So may we examine ourselves and honestly appraise whether we are living by our most holy faith in God and not comparing ourselves with or being influenced by what the world thinks is right. We need to go back to the beginning and once again consistently live our lives according to the righteousness of God and not the standards of man. If we do this we will always find good success. Particularly the success that leads to heaven. “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1: 7-8)
Every day is a day to either be saved or to stay saved. Your heart matters, so don’t let the matters of your heart become an issue. “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14: 27) Instead, “To day if ye will hear His voice, Harden not your heart…” (Hebrews 3: 15) The Lord is waiting to help you be the best you can be if you will search for Him diligently like King Solomon as he sought for Him whom his soul loveth. The Lord says, “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29: 13)
Jesus chastised the scribes and Pharisees saying, "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me." (Matthew 15: 8) May we be the faithful followers Jesus is looking for and honor God not just with our mouths but with all of our hearts. May we all rejoice and lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens and say, “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” (Psalm 111: 1)
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