337 Be Thou My Vision

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Listen to Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

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Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37)

The great commandment. To understand love is to behold the Author and definition of love. For God so loved that He gave. To love is to give. To love is to suffer. Why did He love? Why did He suffer? To make a relationship possible with His greatest treasure—mankind. A relationship both now and forevermore. For this He paid the ultimate price. Who is “the LORD your God?” Creator and sustainer, all-wise, all-powerful, all-knowing. To love the LORD with all one’s heart, soul, and mind is to give, to suffer; to become a jewel in His crown. The One to Whom all honor, respect, and majesty is due. God created man in His image: spirit, soul, body. It is with man’s heart, soul, and mind that he is commanded to love Him who holds absolute ownership rights over His creation. Man’s heart, center of spiritual activity; his soul, essence of who he is; and his mind acting on acquired information. Jesus looks at the inner person—his thoughts, will, choices. It is with man’s inner person that he is commanded to serve God. Man tends to serve God in the opposite direction, with his outer person in deeds, actions, and ministry, often disregarding the inner person.

God, who is love, imparts His nature to those who are in Christ. Is it not reasonable, therefore, to direct our entire being toward Him? When we love something, we are, in a way, united with the object of our love, giving it a sort of power over us. If money, it is a greedy love. If things, it is an earthly love, if sensual, it is a carnal love. Only a love of God produces a righteous love for others—a love that gives and suffers for the beloved. A new mother understands what it is to love with all that is within her when she holds her newborn baby. Her heart, thoughts, will, emotions—life itself—revolves around her baby. She gave and will give of herself for her child; she suffered and will suffer for her precious baby.

Are you endeavoring to live your life united with God? Actions reflect the state of your inner person. God is served with your mind (Ro. 7:23). Your mind wants to steer you back to what is familiar, the old habits and thought processes. Won’t you make it your goal to love as He loves? Let today’s prayer be to heed the great commandment: “Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart, O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.”

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