In this episode of the Weekday Podcast, Pastor Chuck discusses the greatest commandment, emphasizing the three components of loving God—with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He breaks down each aspect, explaining that loving God involves emotional vulnerability, aligning our identity with Him, engaging our intellect through scripture, and taking action through service. He highlights that love is both a feeling and a choice, shaping every part of our lives beyond just religious rituals. Pastor Chuck challenges listeners to actively express their love for God daily and previews the next episode on loving our neighbor.
Hi everybody. Pastor Chuck Allen here with another weekday podcast where, today, I want to make sure that we're diving into what Jesus calls the greatest commandment of all—to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And then he says, and the second as important, love your neighbor. In other words, love others. And then he doubles down on that by saying, as you love yourself. So three components. And we're going to talk about those in my three podcasts this week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So again, this is Chuck Allen and thanks so much for joining me on the weekday podcast.
You know, when I think about love, I'm reminded of the profound moments when we feel completely seen, completely safe and completely understood. That is really a beautiful picture of what God offers us. A love so deep, a love so complete, that it transforms every part of who we are. The fascinating thing about this commandment is how it encompasses our entire being. It's not just about attending church or saying the right prayers. It's about bringing every dimension of ourselves into this relationship with God.
So if you break it down, let's put it into some bite sized pieces that we might could wrap our head around. Let's start with our heart. This is about our emotions, our deepest feelings. When we love God with our whole heart, we're allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, to feel joy in his presence and to experience grief. Well, when this world allows us to fall short, our soul, the very essence of who we are. This is about aligning our identity with God's purpose for us. It's about understanding that we're his beloved creation.
What about our mind? Engaging our intellect in our faith journey? And this means studying scripture, getting it in our soul, getting it in our head, wrestling with the difficult questions, and allowing our understanding to deepen over time.
What about our strength? Well, this is about our action, about putting our love for God into practice, through service, through worship, through the daily choices that we make. You see, loving God isn't passive, y'all. It's not something we compartmentalize into Sunday mornings or bedtime prayers or praying before we eat. It's an all encompassing commitment that shapes every aspect of our lives.
I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a young lady in our congregation at Sugar Hill Church. She said, you know, "Pastor Chuck, I thought loving God meant feeling a certain way, but now I understand it's about choosing him every day and every decision." That is so good. She probably didn't know how profound the statement was. That's exactly it. Loving God is both a feeling and a choice. It's emotional and it's practical. It's personal and it's communal.
So as we close today, I want to challenge you. How can you express your love for God more fully today? Maybe it's through spending time in prayer or meditation. Maybe it's serving someone else. Or maybe it's simply in this moment acknowledging his presence in your daily activities and his desire to guide them. Remember, God doesn't ask for our partial attention or half hearted devotion. He invites us into a full and a rich relationship that engages every part of who we are.
My friend, thanks so much for joining me on this weekday podcast. I'm Chuck Allen and I'll see you back in a couple of days as we explore the second part of the Great Commandment, loving our neighbor.
God bless you. Go in peace.
