PARABLES - The Good Samaritan - LOVE GOD First (4 Ways)
The "Good Samaritan" parable also includes Scripture about "The Golden Rule" (love your neighbor as yourself). Before we can "love our neighbor" we must first love God - The most important thing in each one of our lives should be our relationship with God. No matter what stage of life we are in and no matter what situation we might find ourselves - our Lord God Almighty must be first and foremost in our lives.
Let's break down today's verse:
Our "heart" is our emotions and our feelings. "ALL" means the good and the bad. Most people will only think of positive attributes when talking about "love" - but if we are to love God with "all" our heart then that means we have to deal with the negative also. When we love someone and are feeling sad, angry or afraid - you go to that loved one and talk about the situation to work out whatever is troubling you. It doesn't matter what we are trying to hide in our heart - bring it "all" to our Heavenly Father and love God with all that is in your heart. Love is not ignoring the bad but working through the bad and turning it into good.
Our "soul" is the deepest part of our being - I think of it as our motives, our intentions and our spirit. The most inner part of our essence that can only be seen by God. Our motives at times will shine through our actions but for the most part this is something that people cannot see and sometimes we might not even recognize our own true motive. Love God with all your "soul" realizing that God is seeing every tiny bit of your being - every millimeter inside & out.
Our "strength" is our actions and our time. I also believe that if we are to love God with all our "strength" that means the best quality - to the best of our ability. This "strength" includes the other 3 ways to love God as seen in this verse: actions that are whole hearted, actions that have the right motives & actions performed with the correct thoughts.
Our "mind" is our thoughts. Previously on this blog we studied 7 ways to think Godly:
Please read "Think Good Thoughts" (This explains how I believe that God wants us to love Him with all our "mind.")
Also, just like motives (soul); our thoughts also can NOT be hidden from God > read: "Nothing Can Be Concealed From God."
Also, just like motives (soul); our thoughts also can NOT be hidden from God > read: "Nothing Can Be Concealed From God."
As you can see - loving God with "all" of our HEART, SOUL, STRENGTH & MIND means using every ounce, every square inch and every part of our being.
Previous PARABLE posts:
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "The True Vine & the Father Gardener"
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "Be a Fruitful Branch Instead of a Withering Branch"
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "Producing Joyful Fruit - God's Love Remains Forever"
PARABLE OF THE VINE - "Everlasting Fruit & Everlasting Friends"
The Prodigal Son PARABLE - The Son Who Ran Away
The Prodigal Son PARABLE - The Son Who Stayed Home
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