In our call to love God in Matthew 22, we are given four categories with which we are to love God: our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength. Today, our focus is the final category: loving God with our strength. Perhaps this category is the most obscure. After all, we do not talk about loving anyone or anything with our strength often. So today, we will dive deeper into this command to love God with all of our strength by looking at Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6.
Paul said to readers in Ephesians 6, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (verse 10). This is a command to love God with all of our strength. Paul followed this command to “be strong in the Lord” by teaching readers what it looks like to love God with our strength. He wrote, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (verse 11). This armor that Paul discusses in the following verses is truth, righteousness, strength, peace, salvation, and the word of God. All these things are essential to love God with our strength and fight against the enemy. Many of these pieces of the armor of God, like peace, are different from the things we usually equate with strength. Clearly, God’s definition of strength is different from ours. Strength looks like peace, righteousness, truth, and more.
Make no mistake; the enemy is at work trying to keep us from fully following Christ and growing in our faith. We have to fight against His tactic by loving God with our strength. Will you pick up the armor of God, resisting the devil’s schemes and picking up faith, peace, the truth from God’s word, and the rest of the armor of God instead?
Read through the Going Deeper section verses and list each of the traits listed for the armor of God. Pick one trait that you specifically want to focus on this week. List three specific ways you can grow in that area over this next week. Then, pray. Ask God to help you grow in His strength.
"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should."
