Luke 10
The whole entire scope of religion boiled down to this:
"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
boy o boy...
Its almost embarrassing now that I think about it.
Looking over my life just since I have been a christian,
lining up my general thought and attitude
to the standard set forth in this one verse,
I suddenly realize my report card doesn't look so good.
Do I love the Lord with all that?
(For anyone that wants to do an interesting study,
look up the greek words for mind and heart and soul
and then go through the bible searching for each one.
You will get an interesting picture
of the difference between these three.
I got turned on to this by a lady named Nancy Missler,
http://www.kingshighway.org/articles/19970801-21.html )
well heck, I might as well post an excerpt
in case that link disappears or something:
OK, this is from Nancy:
anyway, back to the question...
Do I love the Lord with ALL?
I can't answer.
because I want to say YES,
but the evidence in my life says NO.
I love all kinds of other stuff, too.
Some not-so-good stuff.
Pleasure over joy kinda stuff.
...and that's the EASY part of the question to answer.
Do I love my neighbor as myself?
wha-ho! NO, I don't think so!
I love myself a lot!
oh sure, if I saw someone in trouble I would try to help,
but what about my day-to day?
At work I get very protective at the first hint of criticism.
I judge people when they don't live up to my standards.
Even at bible studies I feel arrogant
about my knowledge and understanding
and am willing argue the most insignificant point
to show my feathers and stroke my ego.
I pity people when I realize they are lost,
which wouldn't be so bad
if I didn't feel such a sense of superiority.
And didn't I just say I would help the lost?
Ha, what a pathetic person I am.
No, chances are, I don't try to nudge people onto the path.
I'm too afriad.
I'm afraid of strangers.
I'm afraid of strange places.
Sure I put on a thick skin
and put on my game face
and I deal okay.
but deep down I know I'm afraid.
I'm hoping nothing happens.
I don't think Jesus was like that.
At an introspective time like this,
I look at myself,
and I don't see the love coming from me.
I love myself.
In a way I love others,
but in another way I don't.
and I'm ashamed of it.
"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Luk 10:27
And answering, he said,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.
boy o boy...
Its almost embarrassing now that I think about it.
Looking over my life just since I have been a christian,
lining up my general thought and attitude
to the standard set forth in this one verse,
I suddenly realize my report card doesn't look so good.
Do I love the Lord with all that?
(For anyone that wants to do an interesting study,
look up the greek words for mind and heart and soul
and then go through the bible searching for each one.
You will get an interesting picture
of the difference between these three.
I got turned on to this by a lady named Nancy Missler,
http://www.kingshighway.org/articles/19970801-21.html )
well heck, I might as well post an excerpt
in case that link disappears or something:
OK, this is from Nancy:
When I began studying the First Commandment years ago ("Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul and with all thy mind"), I ran to many of the pastors that I knew and I asked them what the difference was between our heart, soul and mind. Many of them simply told me, there is no difference - all these words essentially mean the very same thing. Many books today concur and we see sentences like this one, "If a person listens to his soul (which is his heart and mind), he will have...." And, like this one, "Sanctification is the process of changing the heart (that is, the mind, emotions, and will or actions)." With explanations like these, it's really no wonder so many of us are confused about these terms.-=-=-
My question to the pastors twenty years ago and to these authors of today is: "Why did God use three different Hebrew words and three different Greek words in the First Commandment to express the very same thing?" It doesn't make any sense. God is very precise and He doesn't use different words unless there is something unique and special meant by each.
Since that time 20 years ago, I've learned a wonderful way to determine the real Scriptural definition of any word in the Bible. You take all the places that that Hebrew or that Greek word appears, write them out and come up with a composite definition. In other words, you let the Scripture define itself. This is evidently how the old theologians and scholars used to do it.
So, this is exactly what I did. I took the over 800 words rendered "heart" (leb in the Old Testament and kardia in the New) and found that our heart is consistently said to be: evil, deceitful, hardened, impenetrable, prideful and non-circumcised. This is why the Bible tells us that we desperately need to be born again and receive a new heart - a clean heart - a heart to know (yada) Him. A heart filled with His Agape Love and upon which His Word is inscribed.
Then, I took the over 400 words rendered "soul" (nephesh in the Old Testament and psyche in the New) and found that our soul is consistently said to be: troubled, trodden down and weary. The Bible says that our soul lusts, sins, and that the enemy persecutes it. It can be cut off, destroyed and left in hell. But, if we ask God, He will rescue it, deliver it, save it and redeem it. He is the One who heals our soul and then fills it with intimate knowledge of God (oida).
What fascinated me about this study was the consistency of the Scriptures. Whether we are talking Old Testament or New Testament, God never delivers, saves and redeems our heart, He always gives us a totally new clean one-a heart to know Him. In like manner, He never gives us a new soul, He delivers, saves and redeems our old one.
So, there are some major difference between our heart and our soul. They are not the same thing at all! And it's critical for us to understand these differences, first of all, so we can love Him properly, with all our heart and soul. And secondly, so we can understand ourselves. Do we have a heart that knows (yada) God? Is our soul filled with intimate knowledge (oida) of God? Scripture warns us that a people who do not understand, will fall. (Hosea 4:14)
anyway, back to the question...
Do I love the Lord with ALL?
I can't answer.
because I want to say YES,
but the evidence in my life says NO.
I love all kinds of other stuff, too.
Some not-so-good stuff.
Pleasure over joy kinda stuff.
...and that's the EASY part of the question to answer.
Do I love my neighbor as myself?
wha-ho! NO, I don't think so!
I love myself a lot!
oh sure, if I saw someone in trouble I would try to help,
but what about my day-to day?
At work I get very protective at the first hint of criticism.
I judge people when they don't live up to my standards.
Even at bible studies I feel arrogant
about my knowledge and understanding
and am willing argue the most insignificant point
to show my feathers and stroke my ego.
I pity people when I realize they are lost,
which wouldn't be so bad
if I didn't feel such a sense of superiority.
And didn't I just say I would help the lost?
Ha, what a pathetic person I am.
No, chances are, I don't try to nudge people onto the path.
I'm too afriad.
I'm afraid of strangers.
I'm afraid of strange places.
Sure I put on a thick skin
and put on my game face
and I deal okay.
but deep down I know I'm afraid.
I'm hoping nothing happens.
I don't think Jesus was like that.
At an introspective time like this,
I look at myself,
and I don't see the love coming from me.
I love myself.
In a way I love others,
but in another way I don't.
and I'm ashamed of it.
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