Upon being interrogated by a Torah expert as to the greatest commandment in the Jewish Law, Jesus replied:
“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)
Dubbed “the Jesus Creed” by Scot McKnight, Jesus’ pronouncement requires a person to engage every aspect of his or her being in loving God. No part of the human person is exempt. Yet, how seriously do we take loving God with our minds? Do we work as hard at this as we do loving God with other aspects of our person whether emotions, feelings, will, religious activities, and so on? As loving God is not an option (note, Jesus is issuing his understanding of the greatest command, not greatest recommendation or suggestion!), so also loving God with the mind is not an option. It is disobedience and, hence, sin to fail to do so. Loving God with the mind does not apply only to Christian philosophers, apologists, and scholars. It applies to all of us!
“The Jesus Creed” is in fact so fundamental that every other command from God flows out of the requirement to love God with our whole being (“All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”), including the mind. Our minds are to be engaged constantly in living out God’s instructions for living.
How are we as the Church (the community of Jesus-followers) and as individuals succeeding at obeying this great commandment’s requirement to love God with our minds? Where and in what ways specifically do you see loving God with the mind happening?
Also, how are we as the Church and as individuals failing at obeying this great commandment’s requirement to love God with our minds? Where and in what ways specifically do you see loving God with the mind absent?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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I believe my reason for failure in this area is not being intentional. It is easy to give time and resources, even physical strength because it is something one is aware of doing, but the use of intellect is almost subconscious, it just happens (hopefully!). Without intentional action and decision I have a vacuum waiting to be filled without control. I must learn to engage my mind with God in all areas, not just spiritual ones. I am thrilled to say Greta has made me more aware of this area of my life and her example is one I am trying to follow.
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