And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27 ESV)

It was a lawyer who spoke these words to Jesus when asked “What is written in the Law?  How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26)  But the lawyer’s first question was simply, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25)  While this encounter focuses on “who is my neighbor?”  I would like to take a closer look at the first part of the lawyer’s answer.

He is quoting the great Sh’ma, the basic creed of the Jewish people found in Deuteronomy 6:4.  These words have been uttered on the lips of the Jewish people in all circumstances – even while being lined up to be shot and killed by their Nazi oppressors.  For the twenty-first century Christian, we often read these words, but don’t have the depth of its meaning in our minds our on our lips.

We read this text and understand it as saying that we should love God with our deepest emotions and passion.  But an understanding of the Hebrew word for soul (nephesh) can give us an even deeper meaning.  The word nephesh (translated “soul” would be better translated “life.”  It means your total being.  All your life.  Every moment.  All the time.   That means that everything you do, every activity you participate in whether dinner with your family, working at your favorite hobby, whatever show you are watching on TV, every word you say, should be done with God at the forefront of your mind and actions.

This leaves no room for division: this is the stuff I do for God and this is the stuff I do for me. That won’t work.  Every breath we take should be taken with thanksgiving for the One who gives breath.  Every idle word is a word wasted since it is not to the glory of God.

The apostle Paul took this very Jewish understanding of nephesh and fleshed it out in Romans 12:1: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do you really “love the Lord your God” with absolutely everything you are and have?  That’s what is required to be a true follower of God.   He doesn’t want some of you; He wants all of you.

Seeking to love the Lord with all my nephesh,

Pastor Leslie

All-Church Picnic – August 15th at 5:30 p.m. at Kruse Park.

At 5:30 we will have our closing VBS program. Dinner will be served at 6:00. Hot Dogs and Beverages will be provided. Please bring a large salad or dessert to share (to serve 8-12 people), plates and tableware. We have invited the VBS families to be our guests.

“Christmas in July”

The calendar may not say it’s Christmas, but it’s always appropriate to celebrate Christ’s coming to earth. On Sunday, July 25^th, we will be celebrating Christmas at Lakeside. We will sing familiar Christmas carols and see familiar symbols of the season.The highlight of our worship will be a special love offering for our missionaries’ Christmas. In order to get Christmas gifts to missionaries before Christmas, we want to mark out this time to honor them.