Loving God and Loving Others: The Basics of Becoming Christlike by Wycliffe Bible TranslatorsSample

Day 2: Loving God With All of Your Heart

Waffles aren’t just great breakfast or brunch foods. They’re good food for thought too. Think about their gridlike pattern of “boxes.” Some waffles have shallow boxes, while others are deeper. We can top our waffles with all kinds of good things — yet, if we want, we can keep those toppings very separate within the boundaries of each little box.

Just like waffles, we often create mental boxes as a way to separate and organize various aspects of life. This helps us keep track of our time, focus and effort. But, if we're not careful, we might tend to do the same thing with our heart.

Jesus calls us to love God with all of our heart. Yet our ability to compartmentalize things can be harmful. We’re called to have an undivided heart: a heart that loves God in every area and every way.

We’re first encouraged to love God with all our heart in Deuteronomy 6:5, which says: “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength” (NLT).

The heart is so much more than the sum of our feelings; it’s a reflection of who we really are (Proverbs 27:19). Scripture is filled with verses that speak to the condition of our heart and the way that correlates with our actions. In Proverbs 4:23, when King Solomon shares fatherly wisdom for pursuing a godly life, he says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT).

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of wise adages and principles to live by, and much of it concerns the condition of the heart. Throughout the book, the word for “heart” appears frequently as the Hebrew noun leb, referring to the inner man — that which makes up the mind, will, understanding, heart and soul. Leb is considered the seat of appetites, emotions, passions and courage. In some of Solomon’s proverbs, leb is also translated as the word for “wisdom” or “understanding.”

The call to guard our heart is a call to pure thoughts, words, actions, intents and motivations. The everyday choices we make influence the direction our life takes. Guarding your heart means choosing Christ over sin and self — every time. And as you strengthen your heart, you strengthen the body of Christ.

Spend some time before the Lord, and ask Him to assess the condition of your heart. Ask Him to help you guard it well while also keeping it wholly and fully devoted to Him.

Questions for Reflection:

• If someone were to follow you around for a week, what observations would they make about the condition of your heart?
• What does it look like for you to love God with all your heart today?
• When we have a heart that is fully committed to the Lord, we daily take up our cross, deny ourself and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). What area(s) of your life do you need to surrender to God today in order to love Him wholeheartedly?