Holy, Healthy, Whole: Growing Fruits of the Spirit for Weight Loss and WellnessNäide

Love God with All Your Heart

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mark 12:28-30 (NIV)

As someone who follows Jesus, I know that your deepest desire is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Imagine how different your weight loss journey would be if your focus were on loving God, rather than worrying about specific foods or your weight.

It’s incredible to think about.

• Rather than worrying about points or calories, you would be thinking about how you could serve God with your food choices.
• Rather than focusing on a number on the scale, you would focus on ways to worship God.
• Rather than stressing out about recipes and your meal plan, you would be joyful in serving the creator of the universe.

There’s nothing wrong with keeping track of calories, weighing yourself, or creating healthy meals for you and your family. These are all great weight loss strategies, and God works through each one of them.

Yet surpassing all of these in importance is loving God with all your heart. Today, make loving God your primary focus. Let the calorie counts, recipes, and meal plans rest underneath your number one – loving God with all your heart.

Reflection: How can you keep loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength as your number one job for today?

Prayer: Lord, my life is filled with many things, but too often I let those get in the way of loving you with all my heart. Give me the strength to set aside all the distractions of life and focus on loving you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.