Mark wrote how, “one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”, and in chapter twelve and verse thirty of his book, Mark shared how Jesus answers, “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” where we read:
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: this is the first commandment.
The verse reads, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,” Mark began with the words, “and you shall love” which means “and the scribe as well as all people are to love dearly and unconditionally” “The Lord” or “the One person who has power of deciding, master and the title given to God the Messiah” “your God” which refers to “the scribe was well as all people's Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “with all your heart” or “from the scribe and all people's total and complete soul or mind as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes and endeavors”, “and with all your soul” which means “from the scribe and all people's total and complete mind, breath and life”. Mark shared how Jesus said people are to “love” God with their “total and complete” “souls and minds”.
The verse goes on to say, “and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.” Mark continued with the words, “and with all your mind” which means “and from the scribe and all people's total and complete understanding, feeling and desiring”, “and with all your strength” or “and from the scribe and all people's total and complete ability, force and might”: “this is the first commandment” which means “loving God in the manner Jesus described is the chief, first in rank or principle order, charge, precept or injunction of the commandments”. Mark shared how Jesus continued His reference to Deuteronomy chapter six as He declared the “first commandment” and said people are to love God with all their “understanding and ability”.
When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see how Jesus knew the “first commandment”. Loving God with all a person's “heart, soul, mind and strength” is to be the “first priority” of living in the world. God loves people, and His desire is for them to “love” Him in return. He sent His Son Jesus as a demonstration of His love, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (See John 3:16) Those who are wise will carefully examine whether they “love God” with all their existence or not, and by receiving His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they will have fulfilled one of the greatest acts of “loving God in return” they may ever perform.
Next time Mark shares how Jesus answers what, “the second is like” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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