Whole Hearted Devotion
“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.” (Mark 12:30)
Here is a question not specifically answered in Holy Writ: Does God require more than He is willing to give? Does He want us to love Him with all our hearts and, at the same time, withhold His whole heart from us? Since it’s not spelled out for us we get to make up our own minds about this.
To me, it seems incomprehensible that our Creator wants more from His creation than He is willing to offer. Do you agree? Let’s look at the LORD’s heart concerning His beloved people.
I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)
What a prophecy about Israel’s restoration! What an amazing declaration of God’s intent.
If I hadn’t read this prophecy I wouldn’t have guessed that anyone would be bold enough to say that God had a soul. If I hadn’t read this prophecy I would not have felt like I have an unshakeable confidence that God will do things with all His heart, and all His soul.
To me, this seems like a hint. It sounds like the first commandment, to love God with all our hearts, is the type of love that God has for His children.
What did God hold back when He gave His only Son to die in our place? Nothing. He abandoned Himself as the Son sensed abandonment. He gave His heart. He gave His Son. My mind is made up: indeed, it can be said that God says, “I love you with all my heart.”
Or on Kindle
Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers
Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City
