Stephen continued speaking on Mark 12:30 which tells us to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Last time, he looked at loving God with our hearts and minds and today spoke about strength and soul.
Love the Lord Your God With All Your Strength
Usually we associate the word ‘strength’ with physical strength, and unless we’re bodybuilders or athletes, that can leave us feeling disqualified because we don’t perceive that we have much physical strength. Strength can be hidden within us, however, and can refer to emotional, mental or spiritual strength. Eph 6:12 reminds us that ours is a spiritual battle and we need to be strong in the Lord’s strength (see Eph 6:10-20).
Love the Lord Your God With All Your Soul
It can be difficult to define ‘soul’, but the soul is really the essence of a person, the part of us which was made for God and which only God can fill. We all have a ‘God-shaped hole’, part of us which only God can satisfy. We must love God with all that is in us, being unafraid to long for God and desire Him above everything else (see Ps 42:1-2)
