A Thought For The Week Of April 4, 2016

"... 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." (Mark 12:30) Every aspect of our being is to be dedicated to the goal of loving God. Heart, soul, mind and strength, Jesus says. I say that it's a "goal" very deliberately. There are many people who speak of their love for God as if it's a given; something carved in stone. "I love God," they say - as if that's the end of the story. Case closed. I've done it. But - really? With "ALL" your heart and soul and mind and strength? ALL? That's a pretty big order! That implies a complete and total and unconditional surrender of every aspect of one's entire life to God - every corner of our lives; no questions asked and no conditions placed. I'm not sure that I've ever come across a person who's done that perfectly - and I know for a fact that I haven't. This type of complete and unconditional surrender of every aspect of one's life is a goal to shoot for; it's not a state that's easily achievable - so we should be careful before we glibly say things like "I love God" or "I love Jesus." Yes. Perhaps. But how far are you willing to take that? I wonder what loving God to the extent that Jesus asks actually looks like? If we could truly love God with "all" our heart, soul, mind and strength - how would that love show itself? Simply, I would say that it's manifested not in piety but in service. We love God by loving others - unconditionally. That is a tough act. Again - I don't personally know anyone who's pulled that off perfectly, if by "love" we're talking actual "agape," self-giving love.Have I truly emptied myself for the sake of others. I have to admit - I haven't. I'm too concerned about my future security and the security of my family to actually fully and completely empty myself. So I make no claim to having loved God with "all" my heart, soul, mind and strength. I recognize it as a goal - an ideal to shoot for. I hope I grow closer to doing it each day. And I claim the grace of God for my failure to achieve that standard perfectly.