"Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind....' ". (Matthew 22:37).
"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth..." (Song of Solomon 3:1)
So what's the difference between loving with your whole heart and loving with your soul? The soul, though difficult to define, is by many considered to consist of our mind, will, and emotions. The western world refers to the heart as the center of one's being, but the Hebrews refer to one's 'gut' or intestinal area as the center. We sometimes talk about 'a gut reaction.' Or, we might say,"What do you feel about this decision 'in your gut?'
Now, my heart might say and feel, 'I love You, Lord!' However, my 'gut' might be afraid to stand up for Him against persecution. My heart might say, 'You're the most important thing in the world to me,' but my soul might say, 'Let's spend the evening watching mindless, or even immoral television..' My heart might humbly say, 'You're the source of every good thing in my life,' but my soul might say, 'How much success and notoriety can I achieve from pursuing this venture?'
So the more I think about the delineation Jesus made between what has been translated 'heart' and 'soul,' the more I begin to get a glimmer of the difference. My willful soul wants to do what it wants to do. It fears the opinion of man, is selfish in how it wants to spend its time, can be prideful and critical of others, and is easily hurt and offended. I think it's time to spend some time in Galatians (and, more importantly, with Him), if I want to love the Lord God with all my soul. I want my soul transformed and directed by His Holy Spirit. I don't want to give Him my heart one minute and then pursue my own willful way the next, finding rationalizations to excuse myself for it.
There's an older praise song many of us sing: "I Give You My Heart...I Give You my soul...I live for You alone...have Your way in me..." I sing it with gusto, and I want it to be so. But while I'm singing it, if I'm honest with myself, I'm aware that it's not really true. He reads and knows me, however (the good, the bad, and the ugly). He knows my soul is still 'under construction.' There is no condemnation from Him, only from the Enemy of my soul. Yet I want to please Him, to make Him happy, to be soul clay, soft enough to mold into a beautiful work of art, no matter how wrinkled the body in which my soul resides. Let it be so, Lover of my soul. Let it be so.
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Galatians 1: 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Galatians 5:17-26
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit,you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,provoking and envying each other.
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Morning Manna....to read and share....