Mark 12.28-30 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Does loving God with all of your mind have anything to do with you IQ or your level of intelligence? Does it have anything to do with your ability to “unlock” hidden meanings of Scripture? Does it mean that you are able to fluently articulate what you believe and why you believe it? Well, to some degree, the answer may be yes for some of my fellow bloggists. But may I suggest to you that I believe when Jesus is talking about loving God with all of your mind, He is not thinking classroom-type thinking.
In our church family, we have a couple of saints with Downs syndrome. Because of that infirmity, their thinking ability or capacity is less than normal. Bible facts, figures and information oftentimes goes “right over their head.” But the amazing thing to me is that you can never see these precious souls and not hear about Jesus or sense His love, compassion or concern for something or somebody. Thus, I believe that loving The Lord with all of your mind means that your thoughts of Him are grand and glorious. In one sense, loving The Lord with all of your mind means that you have a mind that is consumed with Him, His kingdom and His glorious works and perfections even if you cannot describe them. To love God with all of your mind means that you long for Him like a thirsty deer pants for water. It means that you crave His presence and “can’t stop thinking about Him.” It means you set your affections on things above. It means that there is not a bird, flower, sunrise or sunset that goes by without your heart leaping with joy and awe!
While God has blessed the body of Christ with brilliant men and women who have blessed us. Never feel inferior to them or lesser than holy because you may not “know” as much as they do or are not as smart or articulate as they are. After all, eternal life is far more than knowing information, it is knowing, loving and enjoying Him. John 17.3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
