Tools To Love God And Others

He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”  Luke 10:27 (MSG)

Passion - strong and barely controllable emotion
Prayer - a conversation saying thanks, asking for help, both sharing and listening
Muscle - physical power and strength
Intelligence - applying knowledge and skills

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked the scholar what the law said about how you should live your life.  I love how The Message translates this verse.  Makes you think. If you define each of those, it is clear you are all in.  You should use every aspect of your being, including your faith, to love God and your neighbor.

A paraphrase might be:

Love the Lord your God with a strong and barely controllable emotion, with all the physical power and strength that you have, using the brain you were given to learn and apply that knowledge while remembering, you need to pray.  Because you can't do it by yourself.

Those are some lofty goals. I have to go pray now.  Because I can't do that by myself.