Love the Lord with all your soul.
Yesterday, Jim shared in a comment on the post this helpful explanation: “The body is what you are. It is made of the chemicals found in the earth, put together by God. Your spirit is why you are. In scripture, it is the breath of life that God chose to breathe into you, a sovereign act that makes you alive. Your soul is who you are. When God breathed the breath of life into your body, you became a living soul. “
So, we are talking about loving God with all your soul. Loving God with who you are. And who you are is intricately connected with everything that is you.
When we start thinking of loving God in this way, really the possibilities are vast. And it’s amazing how much expression we can really have in our “so.” (So is the manner in which we love God and love others. God SO loved us – in this manner, in this way – by sending his only son to die for us…)
How do you love God with who you are? One very practical way is with our strengths, gifts & talents.
Col. 3:23-24 says: “23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Oftentimes we get hung up on the what. We think there must be some super spiritual function I must perform to be loving God with all my soul. Some ceremony or ritual I must perform at sunrise and sunset every day.
It’s not that there isn’t good in something like that, but to reduce our relationship with God to rituals removes most of the relationship aspect. There are some great benefits to rituals, but if God wanted everyone to love Him in the exact same way, He would have created us all the same.
But He didn’t. We are all unique. And the way we love God should also be unique.
When you think about your strengths and talents and gifts and so on, what are those things you are drawn to that make you who you are?
Are you creative? Then create as though you are doing it for God.
Are you administrative? Then administrate as though you are doing it for God.
Are you highly relational? Then build relationships as though you are doing it for God.
Are you a great problem solver? Then solve problems as though you are doing it for God.
Are you good at caring for people when they’re hurting?
Are you good at being generous and meeting people’s physical needs? Are you good at encouraging? Are you good at teaching?
Whatever God has gifted you with is what He wants you to use to love Him. Do those things for the purpose of honoring your creator. I’m not talking about a false humility, but do give credit where credit is due. If you’re really good at something, it’s because God has given you that ability.
Do it as though you are doing it for God himself. How would you do that thing if God were standing right next to you while you did it?
How would you respond to that person if God was in the room? How would you build this thing or fill out that form or paint that painting or sing that song or encourage that person, etc. if God himself was right there with you?
Doing those things your creator created you to do as though you’re doing them for Him as though He was standing right there with you is loving God with all your soul.
Doing it for your own credit is forgetting your maker. Doing it for God’s credit is loving God with all your soul.
What are those things that make you who you are, do them today as though you’re doing them for God himself.
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