He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment.
Jesus was always being tested by the Temple authorities who tried to catch him out on his knowledge of doctrine, but he always had the right answer. The Pharisees wanted to know whether or not Jesus “knew his stuff,” and he certainly did. The commandment that Jesus quoted to them is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and he had no problem reciting it to them. This was a textbook reply, but even so, it is most definitely the greatest commandment, and it is the first commandment because without this one, all the others cannot follow. To love the Lord, means that one follows all the other commands.
This instruction is all about loyalty; there is only one God, and there is no other God but God. There is nothing else more deserving of our love than God, and there is nothing in the world that is revered or valued above God. Here, Jesus reminds us that we don’t just pay lip service to God. It’s easy to say, “oh yes, I love God,” and only think this sentiment with our mind alone, without really feeling it. And sometimes it’s easy enough for us to go over board with our emotions and get carried away momentarily, but not maintain a steadfast daily devotion to our Lord. There is also the trap of carrying out external observances, prayers and rituals as a matter of course without these things touching us at the level of our soul.
What God wants is ALL of us, our hearts, our souls and our minds; in other words, the totality of our being. God wants ALL of you, and anything else will just not do. In reality, half hardheartedness is worse than total rejection. It is written in Revelation 3:15-16:
I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
So when we say “yes” to God, we offer ourselves completely and we don’t hold anything back. We put God first in all things, in our decision making, in our relationships, in how we interact with every part of the world around us. God first, always.
Tell Out My Soul 
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