Love God with All Your Strength

“You shall love the LORD your God… with all your might.” DEUTERONOMY 6:5 The word might or strength in Hebrew literally means “much-ness.” Love God with all your much-ness. It means your substance, your possessions—all that God has given you. Jesus spoke with a man (see Luke 18:18-25) who had lived a moral life. He felt that he had kept all the commandments—no murder, no adultery, no stealing, and he cared for his parents. The man thought he had kept the law, but he missed the whole point of the law, which is to love God with all your heart, soul, and might, and your neighbour as yourself. So, Jesus challenged this man to love God and his neighbour with his much-ness. He told him, “Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor… and come, follow me” (Mark 10:21). Jesus was saying: “You love your much-ness more than you love God. Your much-ness is the idol in your life. Love God with all your much-ness.” But when Jesus said this, the man went away sad. What are you doing with your much-ness? The way you use your much-ness is a reflection of what you love. What proportion of your much-ness do you think would be a suitable expression of your love for Christ? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might—all your much-ness. Consider all that God has given you (much-ness). How could you love Him more? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk