What do you love? Today, in Mark 12:18-44, Jesus reminds us that we are to love the Lord your God with all your heart. So if you answered “I love Jesus,” do you love him with all your heart? Let’s look at the evidence.
Our choices provide the evidence of our love. You’ve probably heard that the easiest way to show what you love is to look at your calendar and your bank statement. In other words, the things that we love show up in our priorities. There is one more place, however, that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much and is far easier to hide. Our thoughts. What do you dwell on?
I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to be perfectly honest answering that question. Partly because I know the “right” answer and partly because I don’t want to face the judgement and wrath that comes with the full truth. Problem is, it shows up either way. In his book Winning the War In Your Mind, Craig Groeschel explains that “our lives is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.”
If Groeschel is right, the quality of our lives is directly correlated to the quality of our thoughts. Now, consider this. There are at least four voices in our heads.
- Holy Spirit
- Satan, or the unholy spirit
- Spirit of my fears and desires (Jeremiah 17:9)
- Spirit of the times
I find that this list helps me evaluate the quality of my thoughts. More importantly, it helps me honestly answer the question, “what are you dwelling on.” You see, if I am not dwelling with the Holy Spirit, I cannot possibly be loving Jesus with all our heart.
Thankfully, today is a new day. And…
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new, every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)