Love God

God is love. Therefore love. Without distinction, without calculation, without procrastination, love. - Henry Drummond

Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

A family member and I were talking about this the other day. Many times we divert to our strength in knowing God. If you are an intellectual person it may be very easy for you to build a relationship with God with your "mind". You can read theological books and become enamored with God. If you are an emotional person than you would find your relationship built with your "heart". You turn your iPod on and begin to listen to Jesus Culture and the culture around you surrenders to your starvation to be in His presence. And so on.

But what about, lets say, the intellectual who is very emotionally challenged? They find it hard to even talk about their feelings; let alone build a relationship with them. Is it ok for them to neglect the "heart" part of this command? I mean they love God with all their "mind". Shouldn't that be good enough?

I would have to say, "No, it's not good enough." You don't do one of these you're not loving God with your whole being and that is what we are called to do. Love God with every portion of your being. Your passions, your personality, your perceptions and your power are all meant to end on God.

Here's an argument:
But I'm not good at the "mind" thing! I like to feel God! (or whatever the weaker portion may be)

That may be the case but your worship of Him is incomplete. Just as in any relationship our communication has to be built. For instance, if I only loved my wife because of our physical attraction to each other sooner or later there is going to be a fall out in our relationship if I don't begin to try to know her more intimately. If I just say, "Well Honey, that's the way I am so you're going to have to deal with it" will only start a fight. Here is a good example for the fellas. If I am passionate about sports but don't show that same passion toward my wife she begins to feel less important to me. And I would get questions like, "Do you really love me?"

I believe that is what God asks when we only desire to know Him where it's comfortable, "Do you really love me?" I need to be at a place whether it's easy for me or not to want to know God in every single way possible.

Don't just pursue a love for God with your strength, make your pursuit perfect by enjoying a relationship that is complete.