Greatest Commandment
Notes
Transcript
Greatest Commandment
Greatest Commandment
In Mark 12:29-30
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.’
In Deuteronomy 6:5
And you shall love Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your might.
In Mark, Jesus adds loving God with all your mind.
Let’s go through loving God.
Your heart means your greatest desires. God wants us to desire Him and His will for our lives more than the heart desires anything else.
Your soul is that part of you that was created for God. Have you ever wonder why some people seem to never have enough money? Instead they are always wanting more? It’s because when something other than God fills your soul, it is never enough and can never be enough; because, nothing can ever satisfy that part of you except God. You may feel momentarily satisfied, but before long, you will need to do more, give more, accumulate more, etc.
You strength is all your physical abilities. If you’re like me, you may have much more weakness than strength. God will use whatever we have to give, including our talents and abilities.
So, Jesus added loving God with all our mind. Why? Consider the first sin—Eve in the garden. What was that first sin? Most will say eating the forbidden fruit. Yes, it was a sin, but not the first. Some may say talking with the snake, who was the devil. No. Talking isn’t a sin. Her first sin and the first sin was Eve coveting knowledge that was’t for her. She wanted the knowledge that the forbidden fruit would give her. Consider an adulterer. His/her first sin isn’t the committing of the adultery but the desire/coveting of someone that isn’t his/her spouse. It all starts in the mind.
It is so important that we train our brains to avoid lingering and sustaining any thoughts that are sins or could lead to sins.
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are pleasing, whatever things are commendable, if there is any excellence of character and if anything praiseworthy, think about these things.
We have to guard our minds more than anything else we do.
And now football.