With All Your Heart

This morning we continue in our study of the well-known words of the prayer called the Shema. The people of God are called to love God with all of their heart. In the Bible, the heart is not just the center of feelings, but the very center of who we are. The heart is the center or seat of a person's cognition (thinking, knowing, believing, reasoning), volition (will, deciding, intending, committing), and affections (desiring, feeling, emoting). Jesus teaches us, "The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart." Our interpretations reveal our beliefs. Our choices reveal our commitments. Our feelings reveal our desires.

All of humanity is in need of heart transformation. Since we are sinners by nature and by choice, our hearts are corrupted, fallen, deceitful, and sick. We need to be given a new heart. We need to be born again. In the good news of Jesus, anyone who believes in Him is re-born and given a heart that is able to love God. We can really and truly obey, though imperfectly, through the work of Jesus and his accomplishment on the cross.