Soul-love - The One Year Daily Wisdom

Read Proverbs 8

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

Of these four ways to love God, loving him with “all your soul” may be the least familiar. The soul doesn’t get much attention these days, but it should. Jesus pointed out the danger of being extremely successful at the cost of our soul (Matthew 16:26). He taught that our soul is the one thing about ourselves that we dare not lose. Loving God with all our soul means loving him in any and every way that goes beyond our heart, mind, or strength. In other words, we are to love God even when we don’t feel like it.

Here are three training exercises in loving God with your soul: (1) Read, meditate, and imitate those psalms that mention the soul in action (such as Psalms 23, 31, 42, 62, 63, 103); (2) learn several of the popular worship choruses that express love for God; and (3) practice using them to train your soul in loving God. The next time you become aware that you’re not actively loving God, use one of these resources to love him anyway.

A WORD FOR TODAY

The greatest proverb—“Love God.”

Today, Lord, keep me thinking about my soul. Help me to appreciate how precious a gift from you it is. Help me never to exchange it for something cheap.