The Greatest Commandment
Pastor Grady Clark
This is part 1 of 4 from Pastor Grady’s book “The Dangers Emotionalized Christianity” that you can read at www.todaysbibleteaching.com and once you are there go to the resources tab and click on the PDF book, then find it in the list.
In His service,
Norman
As I have grown in my faith over the years, the one theme that continues to be illuminated over and over is loving the Lord with all of my heart.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6,
4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
This is repeated throughout scripture.
Matthew 22:36-38,
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment.
So what does this mean for us today? What does this look like or how is it applied? First let me say that this is not to be a casual commandment. Often today many Christians or so called Christians have a desire for God in their life as long as He doesn’t get in the way of their own desires or plans. The emphasis on loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength is not having anything in our lives that are placed above Him. This includes our family, friends, work, play finances, health or anything under any category we can come up with. This is deeper level of relationship than many think of when talking about their faith. Unfortunately so many make their plans in life decide what they want or don’t want and then go to God and more or less tell Him to bless it. This is not loving God but rather using Him. He is not a magic Jeanie or Santa Claus that we have at our disposal. He is our creator, He is our provider, He is sustainer and as believers, we are dependent upon Him for all of our needs. I know that this doesn’t fit the narrative of some popular teachings, but this is what scripture teaches. When God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, all He required of them was to submit to Him and trust Him. Even though they rebelled against Him He still took care of all of their needs throughout the 40 years in the desert. (Read Deut. 29:5, Deut. 8:3, Exodus 13:21 and Neh. 9:15)
So we can see from history how intimate God is with His people. One might say well that’s all under the Old Testament Covenant, it’s all different under the New Covenant. While the New Covenant is different from the Old, the intimacy doesn’t change. We are now in Christ but equally as dependent upon Him as the Israelites were upon Jehovah.
2 Corinthians 5:17,
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:15,
And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Galatians 2:20,
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Christians are to set apart from the world!
Romans 12:2,
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Our minds can only be renewed through His word, through His Spirit and through an intimate relationship with Him.
I encourage you today to examine your heart and ask yourself these questions.
1: Where is God in my life?
2: What are my true desires?
3: Do I think more about pleasing myself than God?
4: If I could have one thing in my life, what would it be?
The way you answer these questions will be quite revealing as to how you prioritize your relationship with the Lord.
Psalm 37:3-4,
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
This doesn’t say bring your desires to the Lord and He will give them to you. It says to delight yourselves in Him, and then He will give you the desires of your heart. If your heart is all about your wants and desires, then you aren’t delighting yourself in Him. I know that this may seem foreign to some, and again it may go against popular teaching that’s out there today, but if we read God’s word in context this is a foundational truth. How do we learn to take our eyes off of ourselves and look to Him as our source for all things? We start by simply asking Him to reveal Himself to us. Then go to His word, read, study and meditate upon it.
James 4:8a,
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Matthew 6:31-33,
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Ultimately we are to submit every area of our lives to Him. This is what loving Him with our hearts, soul, mind and strength looks like. This is very easy to understand in principal, but not so easy in application. None of us want to surrender our will to anyone. We want to be in control of our lives with no outside interference. We also have the enemy, Satan himself is constantly tempting us with our own fleshly desires keeping us distracted with the things of this world. “If I only had this or that, then I would be content.” But we are never satisfied. It’s only in our relationship with Jesus that we can find our contentment.
Philippians 4:11-12,
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
The unfortunate thing today is instead of teaching the full counsel of God’s word, it gets watered down to a feel good Christianity.