February 25, 2012 | Leave a comment Today, we begin to prepare our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. On day “1” of our 40 days of preparation for Easter the #1 sin which I must “put off” is the sin of, failing to love God enough! We need to remember what Jesus taught us is the greatest of all commandments: 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And 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 12:29–30 (ESV) When we examine this verse closely we learn that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind. How do we love God with our hearts, souls and mind? Much has been written about the distinctions between our hearts, souls and minds. In this context, however, Jesus is not telling us that we love God differently with our heart that we do with our soul or with our mind, but He is telling us that we are to love God wholly with the entire essence of our being! There are some things God does not have unless I give them to Him. He doesn’t have my attention unless I give it to Him. Think of this as loving God with your mind. Also, God doesn’t have my affection, unless I give it to Him. This would be how I love God with my heart and soul. Neither does God have my abilities, unless I give them to Him. This is loving God with my strength. The idea we should take away from this teaching is that; what God has given me, my attention, my ability to have attention, my affections, strengths and abilities are to be lovingly and willingly given back to God by each of us. Remember that our purpose in preparing ourselves is to consider what in our life must be “put off” so that we are no longer sinning against God in that area. The author of Hebrews states it this way; 1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 (NASB) The first sin which I need to “put off” as I try and free myself from the sins which have me all tangled up, so that I might be better prepared to give God praise and glory this Easter is the sin of “not loving God enough.” Therefore, I need to “put on” love for God. How do we know that we love God? Jesus answers that question for us. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. . . . 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. John 14:24 (ESV) In his Experiencing God study, Henry Blackaby states; “Obedience is the outward expression of your love of God.” Blackaby teaches that: Obedience is the outward expression of your love of God. The reward for obedience and love is that God will reveal Himself to you. If you have an obedience problem, then you have a love problem. God is love, therefore, His will is always best. God is all-knowing, thus His directions are always right. God is all-powerful and because of this He can enable you to do His will. Simply put if you love God, you will obey Him! Jesus’ beloved disciple (John) teaches us that our love for God is expressed in two directions, vertically and horizontally. We love God vertically by obeying him and doing his will, and we love God horizontally by living in right relationships with all those whom God has placed in our lives. We cannot love God if we are not also loving our brothers and sisters. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20 (ESV) The surest sign of how one loves God is whether or not they obey him and how they maintain their relationships with those in their lives. Do you love God? If someone were to examine the relationships you have in your own family what would they say? Each human being is created with a spiritual vacuum in their heart that can only be filled through loving God and giving Him first place in their life by accepting the truth about His Son Jesus and their own sinfulness. As you love God today worship Him with this understanding and ask God the Holy Spirit to fill you to overflowing!