Mindful Love

Read Proverbs 12

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31

When Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, he purposely included the mind as one of the personal channels of our love for God. By doing so, he clarified the scope of our relationship with God. We are expected to love the Lord completely, so our love must be conscious and thoughtful.

In a world where faith is often described as a characteristic of people who don’t think, Jesus’ words point to the importance of engaging our minds as a central aspect of what we believe. Jesus spoke of himself as the Truth (John 14:6). The Bible repeatedly claims to be true and reliable (Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:151; 2 Timothy 3:16).

Truth keeps the mind healthy. Every day, our minds have to digest large quantities of mental junk food. If we do not include truth in our thought diet, we will have malnourished minds. The daily discipline of thinking about God’s Word will result in spiritual health.

A WORD FOR TODAY

The greatest proverb—“Love God.”

Lord Jesus, teach me to apply my mind to think about you and your Word as part of loving you.