Wholly Devoted

    Start
If we are believers, Christ followers, the twice-born, then a major goal for all of us is that we love God with all we are. That is the first and foremost commandment. Mt. 22:37, Mk 12:30 refer to Dt. 6:4-5. They don’t use exactly the same words. Sometimes we are not very careful with these words, so we should start with an understanding of what it means to say love God with all we are.

Self
    1 Thessalonians 5:23
“Sanctify you completely” implies that your spirit, soul and body are preserved blameless. Sounds like those are the parts. What is the difference between your spirit and your soul. Where does your mind fit in?
Body – what you see is what you get. It allows us to live and interact in this physical world. Soul – inside and invisible but not imaginary. Mind, will and emotions, which you can observe in the internal conflict resulting from tough decisions. Spirit – what is left? Where we communicate with God, and where our conscience appears. It overrules the soul.

Spirit
    John 4:20-24
Jesus talked about interaction with God in terms of the spirit and truth. We have to be accurate, and our spirits must be engaged. The point in space-time is not the issue. The style of music is not the issue. We must interact with God at the deepest level, the level of our spirit. It is based on truth. It is personal and it is authentic. It is an honest relationship.

Soul
    1 Corinthians 2
The wisdom Paul came in with was intentionally not the usual. He wanted faith to stand on God’s power, not human wisdom. Even so, there is a superhuman wisdom contained in it. We receive it from the Spirit of God. He communicates it to our minds through our spirits. The result is that we can know things that are beyond us, and even have the mind of Christ.
Then we should not live as other people live. There will be times when God steps in and shows us things we would otherwise not know. That should alter our course. Following His lead in this way is part of how we love God with our soul.

Shell
    Romans 12:1-3
This follows up on what Paul said in Romans 6:12-14. Give God your body for His use. Serving with your body is part of worship, part of loving God with all you are. Don’t follow the trend of the world. Understand your place in the Body of Christ.

    Steps
Where should I start then, to love God with all I am? What steps can I take to make that really be the way I live?