“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” is Jesus’ response when asked what the greatest commandment is (Matthew 22:37). This verse from the Bible is well-known. However, what does it mean to have a mental love for God?
Fully devoting yourself to God
“Loving God with your mind” refers to your mentality or frame of mind. “Think the way Christ Jesus thought,” says Philippians 2:5 (Easy Read Version). However, Jesus does not offer you a list of things to do, as though loving God with your intellect and loving God with your heart or soul are two entirely distinct things. Instead, Jesus is saying that you should love Him with everything in your life, including your thinking. It follows that other Bible texts mentioning somewhat different features are not surprising:
- “Your whole heart, soul, and strength shall be devoted to loving the Lord, your God.” (Leviticus 6:5)
- “And with all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, and all your heart, you shall love the Lord your God.” (Mark 12:30)
- It is required of you to love the Lord, your God, with all of your thoughts, power, and emotions. Luke 10:27
Having a corrupted mind
It is not obvious to love God with all of your thinking. Conversely, people’s brains are inherently tainted and devoid of any love for God. The Bible is completely truthful in this regard. Here are a few verses on the human mind:
- “This age’s god has blinded unbelievers’ minds, preventing them from seeing the light of the gospel, which shows the glory of Christ, the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). This is [Satan, God’s arch-enemy] “the god of this age.” John 8:44 refers to him as the “father of all lies.” Genesis 3 tells us that he has been tricking people since the beginning. And he’s been obliterating their thoughts ever since.
- “People who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth” are mentioned in 1 Timothy 6:5. These are the ones who will spread untruthful teachings and disagree with the real message of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Similar words can be found in Titus 1:15, which states that nothing is pure for the unbelievers and perverted, but everything is pure for the pure. Actually, they have tainted minds and consciences alike. These lines make a strong relationship between “having a corrupted mind” and “not believing.” Your conscience becomes damaged and your mind degenerates if you reject the veracity found in God’s Word.
- It is evident from Romans 1:28 that people’s minds were not tainted from the start, making belief impossible for them. The reverse is true: “God gave them up to a debased (or: depraved) mind to do what ought not to be done, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God.”
Putting off your corrupted mind
The Bible not only identifies our dire circumstances but also makes it very evident that there is hope. God extends his forgiveness and healing to us. He desires our renewal and healing. According to Ephesians 4:22–24, he wants us to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness; to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.” God will be able to understand and accept what He wants for us when He renews our brains (Romans 12:2, see also Luke 24:45).
Setting your mind on the right things
Besides getting a new understanding of the truth, we should actively set our minds on the right things: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). Similarly, Romans 8:5-6 urges us to set our minds on “the things of the Spirit”. God should be our number one priority. We want Him to rule our minds and control our thoughts. Our minds should be filled with the things that He considers good and important. Philippians 4:8 gives some examples: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Such an attitude is honoring God. It expresses our love for Him.
Some advice from the Scriptures
The Bible gives us some advice on how to focus our minds on the right things. God exhorted His people Israel: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (Joshua 1:8). “The book of the law” was the only part of the Bible written down by then. We have many more Bible books at our disposal, that we can read and study and meditate on and focus our minds on God. This leaves less room to dwell on negative things that pull us away from the Lord. And it helps us to constantly correct our mindset by His Word.
A continuous struggle
Our minds are always engaged in a battle between the flesh and the Spirit (Romans 8:5–9). Furthermore, even on this side of paradise, we are not completely immune from the effects of sin on our thoughts. We often forget things, get confused, and interpret things incorrectly. The truth is that sin has warped our thinking to such an extent that our minds are unable to completely comprehend it.
Even though sin has tarnished our brains, God is incredibly patient. God has every reason to punish us for our immoral ideas, poor choices, and malicious schemes, yet He doesn’t. Rather, He treats us with kindness and grace (Psalm 145:8). God honors the intellect that recognizes its enduring need for grace. While our sin may make us forget a lot, it also serves as a constant reminder to Christians of our total helplessness in the absence of God.
You can rest easy knowing that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” if you are a child of God. (See Philippians 4:7)
I’d like to end this essay with a lovely song that Stuart Townend wrote. It can be sung as a prayer, “Christ be in my waking,” or “Christ be in my thinking, and my understanding.” Walking in the sunshine, protecting me from evil Jesus, you are my greatest desire. I will devote my life to getting to know you and walking with you every day. I live for You, Lord; show me how to walk in Your presence.
