Love With it All

Restraints – now, that doesn’t conjure up anything positive! Being tied up, bound, or gagged sounds too much like terror but to little boys-- it’s just big fun! Locking a brother in or out of the house, shutting him up in a closet, or too much imagination with a rope … well, I can only shake my head and roll my eyes!

O. S. Hawkins writes, “We are to hold nothing back when we love God.” In other words, love Him with no restraint! In this economy, we consciously try to limit ourselves from spending frivolously and using gasoline; we give these efforts all we’ve got! Jesus’ words, “love … with all your heart … soul … strength … mind” (Luke 10:27) don’t translate into control yourself, practice restraint! What thought, action, behavior, activity, or effort is exempt from Christ’s command? Perhaps we are guilty of “lip service” as described in Matthew 15:8 – “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” What part of the person is missing from the heart-soul-strength-mind? That covers it all – the entire person; it’s all there, no parts missing! To love with no restraint is total abandon, no considering or debate [consciously or unconsciously] whether to love or not. Love with the whole person – give that love all I’ve got, all the time, in all circumstances, to all people. The gears of the heart-soul-strength-mind are greased and turned by a passionate love for Almighty God! Good gracious, how do we do this in this imperfect world of sinful influences, unfairness, and unholy people? “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Aha!  By His grace, we are able to live up to and honor the Name of Christ – it’s how we … love with it all!