Day 4 – Love God With All Your Soul

What is your soul? How do you define it? Where is your soul?

These are not questions that are easily answered. In Chapter 4, Tom Holladay points to the Old and New Testament words for soul and defines it as "all your desires and passions, as your will to decide and the direction your life is taking. It is the power of your being."

So how do you love God with all your soul? Tom lists three ways:

1. Seek Him passionately – imagine seeking God with the same intensity that you would your car keys when you are late for work.
2. Love Him personally – God has created us to be unique individuals and it is only natural that our expression of love and our style of worship should be unique as well.
3. Decide to do what He wants you to do – Are you prepared to pray, “Not my will, but yours be done,” as Jesus did in the garden on the eve that he was betrayed?

I personally struggle with each of these and need to do better. I’ve mentioned previously that I am a terrible prayer and that I lose focus while praying. If I was passionately seeking a better relationship, I don’t think I would struggle with this as much as I do.

Prior to this study, I never thought of my uniqueness as an asset. I’ve worried more about conformity than being who God created me to be. If only we all focused more on what makes us unique (special) and not on what makes us different (strange).

Following God’s will, not just by words, but with full surrender is really hard for a Type A personality who wants to plan out everything. But I know it is tough and I pray almost every day for the wisdom to see what God has planned for me and the courage and strength to act on it.

Am I alone with this struggle? I doubt it. I imagine that this is tough for many Christians. My hope is that as I continue to focus on relationships for the next five weeks, I will be able to say that I have made progress.


Day 5 - Love God With All Your Mind and Strength