Love the Lord with All Your Mind: The Biblical Call to a Christian Worldview

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37). Many messages focus on loving God with our heart and soul, yet an emphasis on loving the Lord “with all your mind” is often neglected. Scripture notes at least five ways we can love the Lord with all our mind.

Reason #1: Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2 teaches, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Part of our relationship with God is to be transformed. How? By “renewing” our mind.

What does it mean to renew our mind? The caterpillar offers a powerful visual example. It begins as a lowly worm, yet at the right time enters a cocoon. When it leaves the cocoon, it is no longer a worm-like creature, but a beautiful butterfly. Those who see it after its transformation do not think of the butterfly as a caterpillar, but as something new and spectacular.

Reason #2: Study God’s Word

2 Timothy 2:15 instructs us to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” As God’s servants, we are to seek the pleasure of our Master. As God’s children, we desire to show love to our heavenly Father.

We grow spiritually as we better understand the teachings of our Lord. Prayer, community, and other aspects of growth are also important, yet focusing on Scripture offers clear direction to knowing God’s will for our lives.

Reason #3: Focus on God’s Ways

Philippians 4:8 notes, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” One way we love God with all our mind is to focus on what is good in God’s sight.

This emphasis also reminds us of our need for discernment. The videos we watch and images we view can either help us grow in Christ—or sin against Him. We are called to focus our mind on areas that honor the Lord rather than dishonor Him.

Reason #4: Remember God’s Goodness

Isaiah 63:7 shares, “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us.” Part of loving God with all our mind is to use the memory He has given us. We can remember the positive ways He has worked in our lives, as well as how the Lord has forgiven and changed us from our past.

Remembering is also noted as an important part of worship in Scripture. When we recall the Lord’s goodness to us, we find ourselves worshiping Him with a greater passion.

Reason #5: Develop a Christ-Centered Imagination

God is the one who has given us our ability to dream and imagine: “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). Though His ways are far beyond our comprehension, the imagination He has given us is to be used for His glory. Whether through art, music, design, literature, or other forms of creativity, our Creator has called us to be creative.

Many have missed the connection between imagination and the mind, yet Scripture makes no separation between these two aspects of life. As people created in God’s image, we have a mind developed to work in creative ways, whether in our vocation, our studies, or in how we share the gospel with others.

Pastor John Piper also offers insightful words regarding how we are to love the Lord with all our mind:

If a person doesn’t move from intellectual awareness of God and right thinking about God to an emotional embrace of God, he hasn’t loved God with his mind. The mind has not yet loved until it hands off its thoughts to the emotions where they’re embraced. And then the mind and the heart are working in what feels like such harmony, and you experience it as both intellectual and affectional love for God.

Today, remember to love God in every way—including with your mind. You’ll find yourself having a greater impact and appreciation for Christ’s greatest command, applying it in fresh ways as you live for Him.