Heart, Might, Mind, and Strength

So I know I haven't posted for a while. There are these things called college applications and wisdom teeth. . . they make life kinda busy. But I'm back on the band wagon now!

Anywho, with the year 2014 quickly nearing the end, I have been thinking back on this year; specifically, I have been thinking about the Youth 2014 scripture, Moroni 10:32:

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

While the focus for youth has been to "come unto Christ and be perfected in Him", I think the rest of the scripture helps us know how to do that. It says, ". . . [L]ove God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is [H]is grace sufficient for you, that by [H]is grace ye may be perfect in Christ." We become perfect when we love God with all our might, mind and strength. But what does that actually mean?

Robert F. Orton, said it far better than I: "Our eternal progression leans heavily on the degree to which we love. Webster defines love as the “unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another; an affection based on admiration, benevolence or common interests” (Longman Webster English College Dictionary, overseas edition). And Moroni treats as synonymous the terms “pure love of Christ” and “charity” (see Moro. 7:47). We can best demonstrate our love to God by keeping His commandments. And we can show our love to God and neighbor by charitable acts of service."

In Doctrine and Covenants 4:2 it says, "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." This scripture adds a fourth requirement: heart, to the list. 

So how do we love (serve) God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength?

Heart

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Sam 16:7) 

The heart is used to explain one's character. We describe people as "good-hearted" and with a "heart of gold" or oppositely "hardhearted" and having a "cold heart." 

Loving God with all our heart means loving God through our character. Character is not just the values that we hold dear, but the deepest desires that we possess. If we truly love God with all our heart, then He must be our greatest desire. This means that all we do, say, think, are directed by our desire to return to a loving Father in Heaven and become like Him. 

Might

might: (n)

   great or superior strength, power, force, or vigor

Might, as is modernly used, is hard to understand and explain. However, in Christ's time a "might" (mite) was very different than it is now. 

In Mark chapter 12, we learn of a widow that casts two mites (money) into the treasury.  Christ then remarks, ". . . Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

In order to love God with all our might, we must be willing to devote all we have to Him. This is not limited to our monetary funds but extends to our time, testimony, focus, and willingness. 

The first great commandment, to love God, was put first for a reason. :) God must come first if we are to love Him with all our might. But this commandment is not without blessing. President Ezra Taft Benson said, "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities." 

Mind

"We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far." -Swami Vivekananda 

I think what our friend Swami was saying, is that thoughts are where all action originates. Everything we do begins with a thought. President George Q. Cannon said: “If a man be pure in thought, he will be correspondingly pure in action; but if he allows his mind to roam in unrestricted freedom through the various avenues of evil or to dwell unchecked upon the contemplation of forbidden indulgences, it will not be long before his feet tread those paths and his hand plucks the tempting but deceitful fruit. When once the tempter gains the citadel of the heart, his power is very great, and there is no knowing to what excesses of folly and crime he may incite his unhappy victim.” (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, vol. 2, comp. Gerald L. Newquist, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1974, p. 200.)

Loving God with all our mind means keeping our minds pure so that our actions may follow suit. But keeping our minds pure does not simply mean pushing aside impure thoughts, but filling our minds with purity. We do this by gaining an education, studying the scriptures, and seeking personal revelation through fasting and prayer. 

Strength

He has given us bodies, the gospel, the atonement, the earth, and countless other blessings. Loving and serving God with all our strength means comprehending what he has given us and acting upon that knowledge. This creates a domino affect.

When we comprehend and act upon the knowledge that He has given us bodies, we strive to keep those bodies healthy and able to serve. When we comprehend and act upon the knowledge that He has given us the gospel, we strive to learn all that we can, then teach it to all those we come in contact with. When we comprehend and act upon the knowledge that He has given us His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, and the atonement, we use the atonement daily and help others to see the atonement working in our lives. And the list goes on. :) 

Let Me Sum Up

President Ezra Taft Benson's Talk, "The Great Commandment—Love the Lord", from April 1988 beautifully illustrates this subject. He said, "To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total commitment of our very being—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—to a love of the Lord.

The breadth, depth, and height of this love of God extend into every facet of one’s life. Our desires, be they spiritual or temporal, should be rooted in a love of the Lord. Our thoughts and affections should be centered on the Lord. “Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord,” said Alma, “yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever” (Alma 37:36)."

If loving God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength is, as President Benson said, "no lukewarm endeavor" then coming unto Christ is likewise, a "total commitment of our very being." 

There will be times, more often than not, when we will fall short. We may let impure thoughts to slip through or we may be unwilling to part with our time in order to serve. But as Moroni says, ". . then is his grace sufficient for YOU." 

While loving God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength is a tall order, it is well worth it. I am far from perfect when it comes to loving God but when I do my best and use the atonement, the joy I find in loving God is well worth it. The blessings far exceed the workload.