Intentional Pursuit of God’s Heart

Intentional pursuit of God. What does it mean to intentionally seek the Lord with all of our heart?

“Jesus said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ~Mark 12:30-31 NASB

“This means that man’s first obligation is to love God with the totality of our being. God is to have the supreme place in our life. No other love can be allowed to rival our love for God. The heart speaks of the emotional nature, the soul of the willful nature, the mind of the intellectual nature, and strength of the physical nature.” [MD 1210, 1286]

Heart Pursuit

God says when we seek Him with our heart, we will find Him.

“If you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” ~Deuteronomy 4:29 AMP

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” ~Matthew 5:8 WEB

“Loving God with all our heart means loving Him at all times. Even when God seems quiet. Even when He says wait. And even when He says no. And, yes, even when bad things happen. Continuing to love God even when bad things happen or when good things don’t happen is key to a life of contentment.” [BST]

Soul Pursuit

God says when we ask, seek, and knock, then we will receive, find, and have it opened before us.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.” ~Luke 11:9-10 NASB

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” ~James 4:8a WEB

“To love God with our soul means that innate part of us that always knew that we were created by a Creator. Yes, that God-shaped hole within us that can only be satisfied by Him.” [BST]

Mind Pursuit

I choose not to lean on my own understanding, but to allow God’s Word to give me His perspective on what is “true, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy.”¹

“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” ~Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NASB

And we take every thought captive, making sure our thoughts line up with the Word of God. Walking in the Light of God’s Word and by the power of His Holy Spirit ensures we will walk in the freedom He purchased for us.

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” ~2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB

We honor God with our brains when we choose His understanding, His wisdom, and His counsel. We also submit our intuition, imaginations, and personalities to Him, and choose to be led by His Holy Spirit which leads to a life-giving relationship with Him and others.

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.” ~Proverbs 3:5 AMPC

Jesus has the “Spirit of the Lord resting on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”² We want to intentionally follow Him by walking in the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Strength Pursuit

We want to intentionally use our physical strength to love the Lord. We want what we see with our eyes, what we hear with our ears, what we speak with our mouths, what we do with our hands, and where we walk with our feet to honor Him.

It means loving our neighbor. When we love God, His love will fill us, then overflow onto others.

“Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].” ~1 John 3:18 AMP

Intentional Pursuit

Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is really our intentional response to the Living God’s love for us. We respond in love to the One Who first loved us. We love the Lover of our Souls with our whole heart, with all of our soul and mind, and we serve Him with all of our strength for all of our days. This is intentional pursuit of the One Who created us in His image.

Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is really our intentional response to the Living God’s love for us. ~Lisa Blair

Recommendations

Intentional Delight, Worship, and Prayer Intentional Delight, Worship and Prayer – Strength with Dignity

How to Enter Intentional Rest How to Enter Intentional Rest – Strength with Dignity

References

¹ Philippians 4:8 NASB

² Isaiah 11:2 NASB

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Amplified Bible, Classis Edition (AMPC) Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.

MacDonald, William. The Believer’s Bible Commentary. [MD] Thomas Nelson, 2016, page 1210 and 1286.

New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB 1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Heeren, Jennifer. What Does “Love the Lord with All Your Heart” Mean in the Bible? Published by Bible Study Tools [BST] on May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from “Love the Lord with All Your Heart” Verse Meaning Explained (biblestudytools.com)

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.

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