Yes! There is Good News! 6.25.2016

And so we come to that third aspect of the love for God that was given to us in the book of Deuteronomy and was quoted by the Son of God in Matthew 23:37: you must love the Lord your God with all of your mind.

Have you ever thought of loving someone with your mind? How could we go about doing this?

We often think of the mind as the center of intellect.

This is where all thought processes takes place. We perform calculations in the mind; we memorize dates and numbers, and we store all of the information that we gather during our lies. How then do we love with our minds?

Let us take a few minutes and consider this complicated device. Have you ever ridden a bicycle? The coordination that takes place between the eyes that see where we are going, the hands that steer, the legs and feet that pump the pedals, the inner ear that keeps the body and the bicycle in an upright position, and the lungs that pump air through a correctly formed mouth so as to whistle a sweet melody, are all controlled by what we call the mind. And while all this is going on, you are thinking about what you will have for lunch, not at all paying attention to this complicated coordination process.

Wow! Are you able to contemplate what you mind can do and thereby praise the One who created the mind? Your brain has trillions of connections that operate without you having to do anything. Dr. Paul Brand, in his book “In His Image,” says this about the brain: “During each second of life, the brain performs about five trillion chemical operations, When we are awake, only a few reach our level of consciousness and those so quickly we hardly are aware of the process.” Five trillion connections every second - receiving input and sending messages that regulate every aspect of the human body. What a marvelous piece of creation we are! I think we can label that as good news.

What is there around you in the world that does not fill you with awe when you consider it deeply? If we are to consider loving God with all of our mind, the process starts when we consider His creation and thereby give honor, glory and praise to Him. So much of what God has done for us is just taken for granted. We see a beautiful flower garden and perhaps remark about the one that planted and cares for it but do we ever “love God with our whole mind” by thanking Him for the diversity of color, scent and patterns that are His design and creation?

We take for granted that every spring the leaves on the trees will appear and turn the landscape into a verdant expanse of peaceful joy. We all have a sense of awe and wonder when this happens, but as we come to know and love God in His creation, we come close to loving Him with our whole mind.

To be continued ... stay tuned!