In Matthew 22 Christ teaches about the two great commandments -- to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength; and to love others as we love ourselves.
I often study scriptures the way I would if I were going to teach what I was studying. What popped into my head here, was that I would ask my class, What does it mean to love God with all of you HEART? With all of your MIND? With all of your STRENGTH?
What do you love with your heart? When does the heart get used? I think of the love I feel for friends and family and romantic love. Does my heart feel that same swelling for God?
What do you love with your mind? HOW do you love with your mind? I think this is like a mental affiliation for something. Like intellectually I love beautiful language -- great literature. I delight in words. I also love interesting facts and science and stories so I desire them. These are things my mind loves. Does my mind feel that same hunger for God? Do I seek after and take pleasure mentally in contemplating the Lord?
What do you love with your strength? This one I think can take a lot of different directions. What first came to mind was bodily enjoyments; eating, physical affection, even adrenaline rushes. These are things we love with our bodies. Do we love God as much? I also thought of what we spend our strength on. What we do with ourselves. Do we want to spend our strength on God the most?
I tried to think about these and answer them myself, but I'm more interested in feedback. Since I'm not teaching this lesson to any class anytime soon -- if there's anyone out there with anything to add, I'd appreciate it. Leave me a comment. Tell me what it means to you to love God with all YOUR heart, mind, and strength.
Kirst. I really like that thought. Especially with the last part of that scripture that we should love others AS we love ourselves. hmmm. Selfishness and pride are such easy attributes to gain. With that said, can we love ourselves too much? With too much of our hearts, so that we are afraid of having it broken? We can clearly love too much with our strength, trampling others under our feet. Though, when we channel our love towards God. Giving and sacrificing our capabilities to and for the service of God. We find that we find we have more. The heavenly paradox once again.
ReplyDeletedito. loving others as ourselves and also loving others as christ loves them are two statements that really broaden our perspective on love. When we love others as ourselves we are more mindful of their needs than we are of our own needs. when we love others as christ loves them, we love them with the atonement- we are soft and tender hearted towards others- we acknowledge that christ has suffered for their sins as well as ours.
ReplyDeletelove you.
ah, thank you! your comments mean so much! thank you for teaching me!
ReplyDelete