Serve The Lord With Your Whole Heart

Serve the Lord with your Whole Heart

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

OPENING:- In our fast paced, busy, and overwhelmed lives today we often find it impossible to stay focused and committed to God. We allow everything and everyone to have precedence in our lives and in so doing commit sin because we fail to keep the greatest commandment Deuteronomy 6:4-5 known as the Shema says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might”. The Shema is the central and considered the most important prayer in Judaism. The word Shema means Hear, Act, and Obey so to Hear God, Act according to His Will and Word, and Obey His commandments.

When we come to the New Testament Jesus was trying to be tested by the religious leaders and was asked some questions to try to entrap Him, so they questioned him on the loyalty to Ceasar and about life after death Mark 12:14-17. Jesus answered their questions then one of the Scribes asked what the most important commandment was. Jesus answered in Mark 12:29-31 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 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. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” Matthew 22:40 adds this at the end “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

With our hectic lifestyles, the pressures of this world, and our sinful nature, this command is literally humanly impossible to keep. It is why Jesus continually reminded the Pharisees and us today of the inability to keep the Law of God. Without a clean heart and a right spirit like David prayed for and the washing of regenerations and the filling of the Holy Ghost we would fail at keeping this commandment.

Today I want to talk about Serving God with a Whole Heart.

PRAYER:- Lord God create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me, help me to serve you with my whole heart and give me a mind that is stayed on you. Help me to be obedient to your Will and your Word, guide me, my thoughts my will and my desires.

SCRIPTURES:- Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 1 Chronicles 28:9 “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever”.

As I already stated with our hectic, fast paced, the pressures of this world, and our sinful nature, this command is literally humanly impossible to keep. However, serving the Lord wholeheartedly is vitally imperative in our walk and relationship with God. A whole heart or wholeheartedness is having complete sincerity and commitment as expressed in the Shema Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and the greatest commandment when Jesus answered the Scribes question in Matthew 22 & Mark 12 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The Hebrew word for Heart is “Lev” and it signifies the totality of our being, our thought, our emotions, our will, our intellect, our desires, our affections, wisdom and understanding. It is the soul and spirit of who we really are that encompasses our consciousness, our intuition, and our communication with God. The heart by nature is evil Genesis 6:5 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. It is deceitful and wicked Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it”.