Love Him with all of your Heart

The command is clear, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart".  Sometimes I am a little confused as to what it means. How do I love God with my heart? Lets look a little closer the heart and the significance it has.

The heart is seen everywhere, necklaces, emoji's, stationary, T-shirts,  cards and just about everywhere you look a heart can be found. Around the world the heart represents one thing, love.

In the bible the Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy 6:5 for heart is "lebab" and in the new testament the Greek word for heart is "kardia". Luke 10:27

Lebab and kardia combine thoughts and emotions. It is the seat of the emotional and intellectual life.

When commanded to love God with all of our heart it means to love Him with our thoughts and emotions.

God deserves to be loved with pure heart. The writer of Psalms seems to express it so well.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

The"bara" is the same word used when speaking about God creating the universe in Genesis. This verse is asking God to create/re-create your heart to be a pure sanctified heart.

Try praying this,  Lord "bara" my heart so I may love you more!

In Proverbs 4:23 we are told to guard our heart

Above all else, guard your heart,for everything you do flows from it.
Our relationship with God begins with our hearts and so we should protect it from anything that could contaminate it.

What comes to mind that needs to be removed in order for your heart to be protected?

Moses challenges the people of Israel to have a deep understanding of who God is in Deuteronomy 4:39

Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

How does this thought of God's authority strengthen your heart?

God wants us to be connected to Him and His word.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33.

God has already written His word on your heart! This is why His word penetrates our hearts so well!

How do we love God with all of our hearts?

Love Him with our thoughts and emotions

Love Him with a heart that has been "bara" recreated and pure.

Love Him with a protected heart

Love Him by having a deep understanding of who He is. Names of Jesus

Love Him by knowing His word that is written on our hearts.

Next in this series, Turning our hearts back to God