The Greatest Commandment

Loving God with All Your Heart, Soul, and Strength

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, NIV)

This passage, known as the Shema, is one of the most central and foundational declarations of faith in Scripture. It encapsulates the essence of Israel’s relationship with God and serves as a cornerstone for both Jewish and Christian faith.

To love God with all our heart means that our affections and desires are centered on Him. In a world full of distractions, where people divide their loyalties among wealth, status, and personal desires, this verse reminds us that our faith must be undivided. Jesus reaffirms this truth when He declares, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). God calls us to love Him above all else, not with half-hearted devotion.

The command to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength” calls for complete devotion. Jesus later calls this the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37), reinforcing that love for God is the foundation for all righteousness.

God calls for an all-encompassing love—one that consumes our hearts, souls, and strength. This is not just an obligation but an invitation to the deepest and most fulfilling relationship we can ever have. 

To love Him with all our strength means using our abilities, resources, and efforts for His glory. Warren Wiersbe reminds us, “A believer who loves God completely will have no trouble obeying and serving Him with joy.”May we seek to love Him wholly, just as He has loved us first.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to love You with all my heart, soul, and strength. Remove anything that competes for my devotion. May my love for You shape my thoughts, actions, and desires. Teach me to worship You wholeheartedly and to glorify You in all I do. Amen.