“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (NASB).” So Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us. But what is our motivation for doing so? Is it to assure ourselves of eternal life with God. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Our act of believing in Jesus Christ gives us eternal life and out of that flows a deepening life for God.
Our commitment to Christ should prompt us to want to get to know him better; to love him more each day; to build a deep and meaningful relationship with Him. It is a deepening love for Jesus that transforms our life to a heart for God. When we love the Lord God with all our heart, soul and mind, we see others with the mind of God. Our faith is not about justifying ourselves, but an expression of God’s love projected to others. It is an overflow of the heart, a heart for God.
In John 10:25-37, a teacher of the law was able to recite Dueturonmy 6:5 to Jesus, “But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor (10:29, NIV)?” Jesus responds by telling him a parable about a Samaritan who demonstrated the love of God. The parable shows the teacher that there is more to faith in God than simply complying with God’s commandments. A deepening faith in God expresses our love for Him as we interact with others. It is an overflow of God’s love from us into the lives of others. Our motivation for what we do changes from self to others, responding to them as God would.
© 2021, CGThelen
140 Character Christian 
I never trust my own heart – It can be “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. .”
When I give the Lord my heart each day, I turn over my emotions, passions, desires, affections, will, motives, and attitudes. If I don’t, there’s no guarantee this will be a good day.
Good advice. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.