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Deuteronomy 6:5

NASB	NLT	VOICE
5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.	5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.	5 You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength.

Our Heart, Soul, and Strength Explained

The command to love God is not just an emotional commitment, but it involves being and obedient and loyal to Yahweh. Our love should be a response to God’s agape love and faithfulness. We see what that love and faithfulness when the Israelites were delivered from Egypt.

We are called to love God with all our heart. The heart, in ancient Hebrew thought, is the center of our being – focusing on our mind, will, and emotions. We are to be totally devoted to God, allowing Him to influence our thoughts, decisions, and feelings. This opposes the historical norm that allowed idolatry to being the primary focus in the Israelite’s heart.

The soul was the life force or the essence of a person. This suggests that we are so dedicated to God, that it shows through our entire life and represents who we are. It’s about not rituals – it’s so much more.

Our strength describes our resources, abilities, and efforts. It was about how to use these physical capabilities and material resources to serve God. It’s a push for action and sacrifice, to truly reflect our lives for the purpose that God created us for.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Our heart is the center of our being. Our soul is the essence of who we are. Our strength is about our resources, abilities, and efforts. Which do you find yourself giving to God the most, and how do you do it?

Loving God with all of our heart, soul, and strength means that we’re called to stand up for justice, to welcome those that have been excluded, and care for the world that God created. It means that everything we say and do must align to the will that God has for the world. God’s will for us is to do everything in a way that honors Him, but to also love our neighbor as God loves us. Loving our neighbors is about reflecting Christ’s selfless love to all those in the world. To provide any resources we can to those that are in need. To stand up for those that are oppressed and marginalized by different groups of people in this world. In today’s world, loving God talks about speaking up and out for those that are marginalized, caring for the environment, and work towards the goal of ultimate peace and equity. Our faith calls us to be active in this change, reflecting God’s love through what we both say and do.

If it’s with our family or friends, it’s learning how we can be emotionally present in their company. It’s how we can hear others and be heard. How we can reflect Christ’s light through everything we say and do. It’s how we can provide anything possible for those that may be in need. This can look different person-to-person, and how we show up can look different person-to-person. God created each of us uniquely, with specific gifts and talents to go through and serve Him according to the plans he has for us.

If it’s with our careers or job, it’s learning how we can honor God in whatever we’re doing, even if we may not like the job. It’s being able to allow God to remove ourselves out of the way and let Him steer the ship – to be His hands and feet in whatever we’re doing. It’s being able to both strengthen the gifts and talents He gifted us, while also utilizing these same gifts to benefit those that we’re serving.

There’s no single way to live out this command. God created each of us uniquely, which is something to celebrate. There’s one thing that unites us together. The goal to make sure that everything you do in life, every goal that you set, every future that you plan – that God is at the center of it. God created you with specific gifts, talents, abilities for a specific purpose in life. We need to utilize them for the betterment of the world, and to bring the Kingdom of God down to earth.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Reflect on your gifts and skills. What could you use to help those around you?

PRAY Action

Praise God for this love that He gifts to us. Thank Him for His grace that He gifts to us every day.

Read Matthew 22:37-38

Ask God how you best live out the great commands that Jesus gifts to us. How can you best love God? How can you love your neighbor?

You were created in the image of God. He doesn’t create trash, but art. He created you for a purpose, and you are able to live through any experience to embrace what that purpose is.

Next slice of manna: Forgiveness Over Revenge || Leviticus 19:18 || Manna for the Mind #310