You Shall Love The Lord Your God

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You Shall Love The Lord Your God

I recently learned a new worship song:

Love the Lord your God,
With all your heart,
With all your soul,
With all your mind,
And with all your strength

With all your heart, With all your soul,
With all your mind, with all your strength!

What is the difference between heart, soul, mind and strength?

Mark 12:28-30 (ESV) 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.’

Jesus cited this Old Testament reference:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

The Old Testament Hebrew reference omits "mind".

What are the original words in New Testament Greek?

What are the original words in Old Testament Hebrew?

The two New Testament words for soul and mind are combined in one Old Testament word.

In every emotion, every thought, and every action we are to love the LORD our God.

The English word, love, means an intense feeling of deep affection. It may be used in reference to romantic or sexual attachment for someone, or a great interest or pleasure in something (The New Oxford American Dictionary).

Thus, we are to have an intense feeling of deep affection for God, and a great interest and pleasure in God's plans, actions and desires. Our love for God is to be experienced and expressed in every aspect of human life: deeply felt emotions and desires, continual reliance and constant awareness, and forceful action and movement.

For a Christian, there is nothing in life or death that does not directly connect to loving God. For a Christian, there is nothing outside of loving God completely and utterly.

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