Strong Love

Read Proverbs 9

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

The phrase “all your strength” must not lead us to the conclusion that a robust and energetic love for God would be something impressive. We sometimes read this verse as if Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with . . . all your great strength.” Instead, we ought to quietly consider that what he meant was, “Love the LORD your God with all of what little strength you actually possess.”

Jesus measured qualities like strength and faith by comparing them to mustard seeds (Matthew 17:20). In the context of the great commandment, if heart-love is characterized by spontaneity, then strength-love involves a conscious effort. For instance, attentive worship takes energy. If we stay out late Saturday night, we may fall asleep during our worship on Sunday morning. What are we communicating to the Lord when we say “I love you” while yawning? The “little strength” we have should come as a result of effort expended for the Lord, not because we are too tired to give even our leftover strength to God.

A WORD FOR TODAY

The greatest proverb—“Love God.”

Today, Lord, help me to love you with everything I am, in everything I do.