How to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength

[Robert_Sock]

I believe this is the key to contemplation and sainthood, but it seems that Christians water it down, or pay little attention to it, and become lukewarm. It’s an extremely tough commandment to fulfill taken at face value, and I think it involves our foregoing many worldly pleasures that we have grown accustomed to.

To be in the constant state of prayer seems to be the key, but it’s so easy to fail this whenever worldly issues arise that usually occupy all our attention.

So I would like to open this commandment up to discussion and see how much attention people give to fulfilling it. Any hints on how I can succeed in fulfilling it?

 

[Rosebud77]

I believe this is the key to contemplation and sainthood, but it seems that Christians water it down, or pay little attention to it, and become lukewarm. It’s an extremely tough commandment to fulfill taken at face value, and I think **it involves our foregoing many worldly pleasures that we have grown accustomed to. **

To be in the constant state of prayer seems to be the key, but it’s so easy to fail this whenever worldly issues arise that usually occupy all our attention.

So I would like to open this commandment up to discussion and see how much attention people give to fulfilling it. Any hints on how I can succeed in fulfilling it?

If things mean so much to you?

For me this means living each day each hour for Jesus. Materially, as our daily lives surely should express our faith and our love for Him.

“Worldly pleasures”? Please define!

We are surely given what you term worldly joys to strengthen and comfort us in our earthly life in balance, in proportion always…

Not giving all up as a sacrifice and feeling deprived.

My life is very simple, through circumstance, through illness, and now totally through choice. I feel deeply fulfilled and joyful and all is for Jesus always.

Not in some prayer trance, but every minute of each day.

Loving HIm and loving all…

My pleasures grow more and more simple and deeper. A warm bed, a purring cat, a simple good meal , a flower, the sun… these are of earth, earthly and needful for our earthly life.

They cost almost nothing so I can help family who support those who have no roof over their heads and babies thrown in the rubbish.

“Living simply so others can simply live”

 

[Robert_Sock]

If things mean so much to you?

For me this means living each day each hour for Jesus. Materially, as our daily lives surely should express our faith and our love for Him.

“Worldly pleasures”? Please define!

We are surely given what you term worldly joys to strengthen and comfort us in our earthly life in balance, in proportion always…

Not giving all up as a sacrifice and feeling deprived.

My life is very simple, through circumstance, through illness, and now totally through choice. I feel deeply fulfilled and joyful and all is for Jesus always.

Not in some prayer trance, but every minute of each day.

Loving HIm and loving all…

My pleasures grow more and more simple and deeper. A warm bed, a purring cat, a simple good meal , a flower, the sun… these are of earth, earthly and needful for our earthly life.

They cost almost nothing so I can help family who support those who have no roof over their heads and babies thrown in the rubbish.

“Living simply so others can simply live”

An example of forgoing worldly pleasure might be contemplating God instead of getting mentally involved in a football game. I know that many would disagree with me here, but the commandment clearly states that we love God (not just Jesus, by the way) with all our mental strength. I’m assuming here that this should be at all times, as much as humanly possible.

 

[OneSheep]

An example of forgoing worldly pleasure might be contemplating God instead of getting mentally involved in a football game. I know that many would disagree with me here, but the commandment clearly states that we love God (not just Jesus, by the way) with all our mental strength. I’m assuming here that this should be at all times, as much as humanly possible.

How to contemplate God by getting mentally involved in a football game (not that I’m a fan, but here are some ideas):

1. Taking joy in the beauty of what it means to be human, a physical being created by God.
2. Taking joy in our capacity for joy itself, created by God.
3. Taking joy in our desire to win, to dominate, hardwired into us by God.
4. Taking joy in the cooperation between the players, the compassion and love, when visible.
5. Taking joy in the capacity to suffer and the ability learn from our errors, both of which depend on each other.
6. Taking joy in the skills involved, the strategies, the camaraderie, the joy of sharing an experience with friends, family, and of course, fellow football fans.
7. Taking joy in our capacities for anger and frustration, both of which are also gift from our loving creator, meant to serve us in our dealings with life.

After all, why should love always be a chore?

 

[Katherine438]

An example of forgoing worldly pleasure might be contemplating God instead of getting mentally involved in a football game. I know that many would disagree with me here, but the commandment clearly states that we love God (not just Jesus, by the way) with all our mental strength. I’m assuming here that this should be at all times, as much as humanly possible.

Loving Jesus is the same as loving God.

 

[Bookcat]

An example of forgoing worldly pleasure might be contemplating God instead of getting mentally involved in a football game. I know that many would disagree with me here, but the commandment clearly states that we love God (not just Jesus, by the way) with all our mental strength. I’m assuming here that this should be at all times, as much as humanly possible.

Part of the premise here is not in the right direction.

Being engaged in say a sports game* need not be at odds with loving God.

Even a great Saint can love God as the do so well - and enjoy a sports game.

(I set aside the kind of game…not into football…and do not recommend it myself).

 

[Robert_Sock]

Loving Jesus is the same as loving God.

We must not leave out God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in our love. To only love the Son makes the Holy Trinity a mockery.

 

[Robert_Sock]

How to contemplate God by getting mentally involved in a football game (not that I’m a fan, but here are some ideas):

1. Taking joy in the beauty of what it means to be human, a physical being created by God.
2. Taking joy in our capacity for joy itself, created by God.
3. Taking joy in our desire to win, to dominate, hardwired into us by God.
4. Taking joy in the cooperation between the players, the compassion and love, when visible.
5. Taking joy in the capacity to suffer and the ability learn from our errors, both of which depend on each other.
6. Taking joy in the skills involved, the strategies, the camaraderie, the joy of sharing an experience with friends, family, and of course, fellow football fans.
7. Taking joy in our capacities for anger and frustration, both of which are also gift from our loving creator, meant to serve us in our dealings with life.

After all, why should love always be a chore?

The commandment to love God with all our soul, heart, mind and strength has absolutely nothing to do with finding a variety of joys in a football game!

 

[Balaco]

An example of forgoing worldly pleasure might be contemplating God instead of getting mentally involved in a football game. I know that many would disagree with me here, but the commandment clearly states that we love God (not just Jesus, by the way) with all our mental strength. I’m assuming here that this should be at all times, as much as humanly possible.

The way I see it, we are still loving God with all our mental strength when we become immersed into things like football games, like what OneSheep said. From what I understand, contemplating God doesn’t only involve reading the Bible or sitting eyes closed, hands locked in prayer. It’s completely possible to do so with worldly pleasures, which allows us to appreciate God in different ways than simply reading the Bible. We contemplate God even if we don’t realize it, in ways that OneSheep said.

I feel we also contemplate God through things like taking an exam. Obviously, we need to immerse ourselves into the exam, in a sense, if we want to do our best. We still have God in our minds, we’re still appreciating him with all our mental strength, in a sense, as it should be common sense to us - like breathing. Of course, we have to be careful with how much we get “immersed” into anything worldly so we don’t forget God.

 

[OneSheep]

The commandment to love God with all our soul, heart, mind and strength has absolutely nothing to do with finding a variety of joys in a football game!

We love God by being grateful for life itself, right?

Of course we can love God by acts of mercy, being charitable and kind, devoting time to prayer. I am not diminishing these.

God takes joy in our own joy! Jesus would have watched some football, for sure.

I know a Catholic priest who is a living saint, for sure. He can turn an entire room into a place of love and fellowship, seen him do it. He enjoys a good Notre Dame game as much as any other fan… It’s been harder for him to keep up, now that he is in Africa.

 

[Katherine438]

We must not leave out God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in our love. To only love the Son makes the Holy Trinity a mockery.

I didn’t mean we should leave out the Father and the Holy Spirit, but if one is praying to Jesus, he is indeed praying to all 3 … one cannot love one without loving all 3 … this is what I was taught as a young girl in Catholic School … which was many moons ago.

 

[thistle]

An example of forgoing worldly pleasure might be contemplating God instead of getting mentally involved in a football game. I know that many would disagree with me here, but the commandment clearly states that we love God (not just Jesus, by the way) with all our mental strength. I’m assuming here that this should be at all times, as much as humanly possible.

You have started so many threads on this theme, i.e. we should not play or enjoy watching sports, or watch tv or go to movies. None of these things are sinful but you imply that all of us who participate in such things do not fully love God.

 

[CountrySteve]

You have started so many threads on this theme, i.e. we should not play or enjoy watching sports, or watch tv or go to movies. None of these things are sinful but you imply that all of us who participate in such things do not fully love God.

I would argue that using such things in moderation can and should give glory to God. After all, it is a legitimate human need to allow time for relaxation and things such as movies are used for that purpose.