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When asked what the greatest commandment for us to follow was, Jesus answered:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." -- Matthew 22:37-40

Notice how Jesus repeats the word all. He is saying what matters most in life is that we love God and others with everything we have. We give God our all.

What does it mean to give God our all?

As I look at my spiritual life, I tend to look at it in 3 categories: loving God with my head, my heart, and my hands. Our head is loving God with all our minds, our heart is loving God with all our souls, and our hands is loving God with all our strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). To give God our all means we balance learning, loving, and serving Him. Only Jesus is able to do this perfectly, but a well-balanced approach of focusing on loving God with our head, heart, and hands is healthy.

Because we are not Jesus, we tend to focus on one of the categories over the others, and our focus can constantly change throughout our lives. Let me introduce you to 3 people who are out-of-balance in their spiritual lives.

The Intellectualist

Stick man 1 Intellectual

The Intellectualist is someone who focuses too much on learning and gaining head knowledge. He loves to study doctrine and discuss theology. He is well-read and knows the Bible very well. His problem is that he spends so much time reading that he never has time to serve or spend time in prayer and solitude. Because of his knowlege he tends to be arrogant and critical towards others who may not be as knowledgeable in the study of God. Like the picture, he has a massive head but a little heart or hands. 

The Emotionalist

Stick man heart Emotionalist

When Jesus says to love God with all our souls  He is describing the soul as the seat of man's emotional activity. The Emotionalist is very passionate and expressive. He is in tune with his emotions and loves singing and music. He goes into Church expecting a spiritual high and tends to live by the motto: "Let go and let God." 

The problem with the Emotionalist is that he is easily led by his feelings and emotions and doesn't spend much time reading and studying the truth. He also doesn't spend time serving because he is caught up into having a spiritual high. The Emotionalist has a big heart but a small head and hands.

The Activist

 Runing stick man

Loving God with all our strength means we serve Him with all we have. We use our spiritual gifts for His glory and the good of others. The Activist is always looking to serve at the Church or in the community. He is constantly saying yes to Boards and Committees and is very reliable and gifted.

The problem with the Activist is he is so busy serving others that he is not taking time to love himself. He doesn't read or doesn't pray because he's always working and serving. The Activist has big hands but a small head and heart.

The Disciple of Christ

Stick man 2 Balanced

A committed follower of Jesus has a mind for truth, a heart for Christ, and hands for service. They aspire to be well-balanced using their head, heart, and hands. A disciple of Jesus evaluates when they are out-of-balance, and asks the Holy Spirit to help them become more like Jesus. 

If you are a Christian, pursue godliness today using your head, heart, and hands.

 

 

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