The Most Important Part...

I was intently studying the Word this morning, when Fiver slid up next to me between the desk and the windows in my study.  There was a golfer out on the greens that had caught his attention and he was closely observing his every move.

As I looked over to Fiver, I took note of how scruffy his coat looked and was instantly reminded of how much I used to enjoy my first view of Piper in the morning, when she would raise her head off of her pillow, sleepily blink her eyes and smile with her hair slightly askew and messy.  It was what I used to refer to as her ‘morning sleepy head look.’

So, with that thought in mind and a smile on my face, I quickly grabbed Fiver’s brush, that just happened to be on the file cabinet next to my desk, and began to gently brush his white and blue merle coat.  My actions took him by surprise and as he turned from the window, I simply told him that I was getting rid of his ‘morning sleepy head look’… which seemed to satisfy him and he turned his attention back to the golfer!

Memories of that look and the countless other sweet looks of Piper that I treasured though the years, were the vision of her that kept me going when the effects of Alzheimer’s began to devastate her beautiful features.  I learned early on in my daily care for her, that I had to look past what I saw happening on the outside and to concentrate on the real Piper on the inside… on her living, breathing and eternally healthy spirit.

And as if to highlight what I had just been thinking… I found myself turning in my Bible, as I continued my study on the connection between FAITH and LOVE,* to Jesus’ statement about the greatest commandment, as found in Mark 12:29-31.  When asked by a Scribe what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied,

"The most important is, 'Listen, Israel, (and every Christian today) the Lord our God is the only Lord.  So, you are to LOVE the Lord Yahweh, your God, with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, with every thought that is within you, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment.   And the second is this: ‘You must LOVE your neighbor in the same way you LOVE yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.” (God’s Word ©/TPT)

There were two points that immediately jumped out to me as I read Jesus’ words this morning.  First off was His confirmation that LOVE is the greatest commandment and force in our FAITH walk.  In fact, Paul tells us in Romans 13 that all the Ten Commandments are summed up in our Godly actions of LOVE.  And we’ve also learned in Galatians 5:6 that one cannot have FAITH without LOVE* where Paul taught that,

“As far as our relationship to Christ Jesus is concerned… what matters is a faith that expresses itself (or worketh) through love.” (God’s Word ©/KJV)

The second outstanding feature of this verse was where Jesus explains the four areas of our lives in which we are to LOVE the Lord our God, and in particular, as The Passion Translation puts it, to LOVE the Lord “with all the energy of your being!”  The other three areas in which we are to LOVE the Lord is with are our HEARTS, our MINDS and our STRENGTH.

Most versions state what The Passion Translation explains as our “BEINGS” as the more readily understood definition of our “SOULS.”  But I actually think that the idea of our “BEINGS” over the standard idea of our “SOULS” better expresses Jesus’ intent and meaning of His teaching.

Thayer’s Greek Definitions tells us that the original Greek meaning of the term “SOUL” that Jesus used, defines, “the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing; the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions; and the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)”

You see… when we… through the LOVE of God**… accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, our spirit… the REAL us on the inside… is Born-Again with an incorruptible seed through the Word of God that cannot be destroyed!*** 

Therefore, the scriptures make it pretty clear… that our spirits are the most important part of us!

So… it makes perfect sense to me… that I spend more time and exert more effort in building up my spirit… than any other part of me!  Wouldn’t you agree?

And you can see why Jesus’ exciting and encouraging words really strike a chord within me and makes me want to,

“LOVE the Lord Yahweh, my God… with all the energy of my (entire) being!”

What About You?  Don’t you want to live a life that is totally exhilarated with the energy of His LOVE in everything you DO, SAY and THINK?

Which part of you plays the most important role in your daily life?

Have a great weekend as you ponder today’s blog post!  We’re getting some much-enjoyed cooler and almost fall like weather today and tomorrow… along with a little rain… which my lawn sorely desires!  The cooler weather makes it a little easier for me to exert the energy it takes to LOVE the Lord our God with all the energy of my (entire) being!”

Until next time…

 

*https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-relation-between-love-and-faith.html - https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/08/badge-of-honor.html

**See: John 3:16

***See: I Peter 1:23 – in other words… our Born-Again spirit on the inside of us… is the only part of us that is eternal and will live forever!