Love with your heart, mind, and soul

Matthew 22: 35-40
35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

What about al the other commandments? Are they null and void?

In this passage, religious folk are questioning Jesus w/ perplexed questions in an attempt to trap and ensnare him. They wanted just cause to put him in jail or kill him. In his answer, he summed up the ten commandments ino two. The first five have to do w/ reverence to God. The latter five are toward to neighbor.

In today’s society, it is becoming increasingly hard to be a Christian. It’s almost impossible to show and share your faith without someone getting affended and wanting to persecute you. There was a story of a counselor on K-Love yesterday that was suspended for six weeks for exposing four teenagers to christian music. “The group also overheard Christian music for about ten minutes while they were eating.” Even today, over two thousand years after his birth, people continue to find ways to crucify him.

http://pji.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?ID=PR090218a

When you love someone or something, they/it becomes a priority in life. You put it/them before your likes and even desires. Did you notice Jesus put God first? He also said love him w/ all your heart, soul, and mind. That means, God becomes the priority in your:

1) Heart. How you chose to feel about things. We are naturally drawn to have positive (love) and negative (hatred, greed)“feelings” for good (God, family) and bad (gangs, substance abuse, disobedience) things. However, you have the power of choice to decide which feelings and things you will embrace.

2) Soul. What you let in and out of your spirit. Your senses (touch, sight, taste, smell, hear) are how you feed your spirit; the in portion. Your personality is the aroma of your spirit; what you let out. You have the authority over what let allow in and out of your spirit.

3) Mind. Your thoughts. The activity of your brain’s capacity. We can not always control what we dream and what pops into our head, however we can cognitively decide to control our mental reactions.

Now the second, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Fellowship. No one, in their right mind, purposely causes themselves harm, danger, misfortune, or any negative aspects of life. The same love should be shared to your neighbor. And if you love your neighbor, by love, you help grant the needs of a loved one.

Dear Father, holy is your name. I thank you and praise you for your grace upon my life. I don’t always put you first. I don’t always love my family, friends, and neighbors as I should. I ask for your help so I can see others as you see us. Help me to follow your commandments to love you and my neighbors.

In Jesus name,

AMEN