Loving God with your Mind

Connecting with God through Learning is loving God with your mind.

When a group of lawyers asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, He replied by reciting the Sh’ma, the most important prayer in Judaism, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Have you ever thought about what it means to love God with your mind? If Jesus said loving God was the greatest commandment, what does it look like to love Him with ALL of your heart, soul, and mind?

The Greek word used for mind is διάνοια dianoia, which means deep thought, the mind as a faculty of understanding, way of thinking, and imagination. Your intellect, ability to think or reason, and imagination are God-given. God created your mind with the capacity to form thoughts, opinions, and ideas, and He desires for you to love Him with it.

Loving God with your mind looks like searching for Biblical truths, asking Him questions, and seeking answers in His Word. When you search for understanding from Him, you engage your mind to learn His ways.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for creating my mind. Reveal where I have only loved You with my heart and my soul, but not loved You with my mind. I desire to love and worship You with every part of me, so I ask You to teach me how to love You with my mind. Amen.

Application

How have you loved God with your mind?

Recall a difficult question or situation you had. How did you engage your mind?