FRANCIS CHAN from his book “Crazy Love,”
emphasis mostly mine

—

The Engrossed

Jesus didn’t pull the greatest command out of nowhere. He hearkened all the way back to the days of Moses, when God says to His people,

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts, Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.

—Deuteronomy 6:4–9

In Moses’ time, the heart was understood to be the seat of a person’s emotions, the very center of his being, the place where decisions are made. The soul was considered the basis for a person’s traits and qualities, or his personality. Strength refers to physical, mental, and spiritual strength.

So within this command to love God with “all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” every fiber of humanity is addressed. Our goal as people who follow Christ should be no less than becoming people who are madly in love with God.

A person who is obsessed with God is
characterized by committed,
settled, passionate love for God,
above and before every other thing
and every other being.

* * *

Related:

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God at Amazon [paperback, Kindle, and audio editions]

Francis Chan Freedom Quotes!

Brandy: Review of “Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By a Relentless God” — Francis Chan has put his finger on the problem in American Christianity.

Francis Chan Freedom Quotes: Lukewarm People — “Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of ALL His followers.” — “Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican…” — More…