37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
From Matthew 22
On the MENTAL aspect of loving the LORD:
We are asked to love the LORD with ALL our mind. What are some ways to love God with your mind?
--Learning: Study of the Word, of truth, and of other things that lead to edification. Writing these heavenly things on our hearts and minds- like a song that gets stuck in your head! It jumps to mind easily. What verses jump to your mind easily? What quotes can you recite readily?
(one quote I can't forget even if I wanted to is "No matter where you go, there you are." I don't know how many times my mom told me this. It is true, though, idn't it?)
--Where Thoughts Dwell: If your mind were a room, what would be hanging on the walls? Photos of family? Photos of NASCAR and the soda you are addicted to? Scriptures? People you look up to?
What would a "room of the mind" that honored God look like? These would be things you dwell on regularly, or are in the practice of trying to dwell on regularly. Maybe Scriptures.... things you are thankful for.... worship music..... prayers...... bold dreams and recordings of brave "faith steps"... etc, fill such a room. (I hope you aren't picturing a drab boring place. One could be full of colors, photos of peoples of the world, lively worship music, journals and journals of recorded prayers and praises to God, a jar of tears, a cross where one can leave dreams, treasures, and joys; or sins they admit, next to disappointments, fears, etc....) The room could have lots of great aspects to it!
What does your mind look like? To be honest, mine has a coffee station, for better or worse. I like coffee a lot and thank God for coffee.
What does your mind look like? To be honest, mine has a coffee station, for better or worse. I like coffee a lot and thank God for coffee.
(Further: What cobwebs do you have to guard the room against, e.g., negativity, lust, preoccupation, worry? )
--Communication: Are we in prayer with God through the day? Or are we texting all the time? If you could chart where most of your mental energy were being poured into, what things do you think are getting the "highest measures"?
We can love the LORD with our minds. God commands us to. Why? To hog our thoughts?
Nah--The commands God gives are because He wants the best for us. Check out what it says in Joshua chapter 1:
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
The Bible repeats this sentiment again and again. God asks us to love Him with our minds for one reason because it is what is best for us, the ones He designed and loves, calling us sons and daughters.
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UPDATE
UPDATE
A relevant sermon I just came across, by Eric Ludy of Ellerslie Ministry, is here:
http://www.ellerslie.com/Eric_Ludy_Sermons/Entries/2012/10/21_The_Five_Arts_of_Intimacy.html
Ever considered intimacy with God?
http://www.ellerslie.com/Eric_Ludy_Sermons/Entries/2012/10/21_The_Five_Arts_of_Intimacy.html
Ever considered intimacy with God?
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