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Based on William G. Carter
About William G. Carter
Mark 12:28. One of the scribes who had listened to them debating appreciated that Yahshua had given a good answer and put a further question to him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” 29. Yahshua replied, “This is the first: Hear, O Israel, Yahweh your Elohim is the one Sovereign, 30. and you must love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. 31. The second is this: You must love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” 32. The scribe said to him, “Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true, that he is one and there is no other. 33. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.” 34. Yahshua, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, “You are not far from the kingdom of Elohim.” And after that no one dared to question him any more.
Genesis 2:2b.At the time when Yahweh Elohim made earth and heaven 5. there was as yet no wild bush on the earth nor had any wild plant yet sprung up, for Yahweh Elohim had not sent rain on the earth, nor was there any man to till the soil. 6. Instead, water flowed out of the ground and watered all the surface of the soil. 7. Yahweh Elohim shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being (soul). 18. Yahweh Elohim said, “It is not right that the man should be alone. I shall make him a helper.” 19. So from the soil Yahweh Elohim fashioned all the wild animals and all the birds of heaven. These he brought to the man to see what he would call them; each one was to bear the name the man would give it. 20. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of heaven and all the wild animals. But no helper suitable for the man was found for him. 21. Then, Yahweh Elohim made the man fall into a deep sleep. And, while he was asleep, he took one of his ribs and closed the flesh up again forthwith. 22. Yahweh Elohim fashioned the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. 23. And the man said: This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! She is to be called Woman, because she was taken from Man. (NJB)
Deuteronomy 6:1. Such, then, are the commandments, the laws and the customs which Yahweh your Elohim has instructed me to teach you, for you to observe in the country which you are on your way to possess. 2. And hence, if, throughout your lives, you fear Yahweh your Elohim and keep all his laws and commandments, which I am laying down for you today, you will live long, you and your child and your grandchild. 3. Listen then, Israel, keep and observe what will make you prosperous and numerous, as Yahweh, Elohim of your ancestors, has promised you, in giving you a country flowing with milk and honey. 4. Listen, Israel: Yahweh our Elohim is the one, the only Yahweh. 5. You must love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. 6. Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart. 7. You shall tell them to your children, and keep on telling them, when you are sitting at home, when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are standing up; 8. you must fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a headband; 9. you must write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
About: William G. Carter serves as the pastor and head of staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. A well-known preacher in the northeast, he is also a highly regarded jazz pianist who frequently weaves his music into his ministry. Carter has received national acclaim for his preaching and writing. He was selected by his denomination to preach on "The Protestant Hour." As a jazz musician, he holds the piano chair in Al Hamme's Swing Street Orchestra, and was the Jazz Pianist in Residence at Binghamton University (NY).
“What was it you said when you rolled out of bed?” A popular radio station in a large city was having a contest. Radio hosts of the morning show invited listeners set their clock radio alarms to their station, FM95. Speakers in cars and homes all over the area chirped, “Just for fun, when you wake up to the sound of FM95, call and tell us the first words you said when you rolled out of bed. The 95th caller each morning for a whole week wins $95 and is entered into a drawing for $1,000.” It didn’t take long for the offer to get around. Why not make the call? That first morning, the energetic radio host cried over the airwaves, “Caller number ninety-five, “What was it you said when you rolled out of bed?” A groggy voice replied, “Do I smell coffee burning?” The next morning, a hairdresser was the ninety-fifth caller; the hyped-up radio host and his crew cried into the microphone, “What was it you said when you rolled out of bed?” She replied, “Oh no, I’m late for work.” The third morning of the contest, a housewife called in. The host and his crew shouted at this groggy woman, “What was it you said when you rolled out of bed?” Her first words were, “Honey, did you put the dog out last night?” In the background, a muffled male voice swore, “Bob Cratch-it, no, I did not! It was your turn.” This contest drew a vast audience. The final morning of the contest, the ninety-fifth caller said something outrageous. The station phone rang and the call was answered with the entire radio crew’s blaring question, “What was it you said when you rolled out of bed?” A voice with a Ralph Fiennes accent replied, “You want to know my first words this morning?” The bubbly radio host screeched, “Yes, sir!” Then, again, his crew joined him in the rousing motto: “What was it you said when you rolled out of bed?” The famous voice chanted, “I said, Shema, Yisra'el! Yahweh Eloheynu, Yahweh echad!” The hyper-caffeinated host cried out in glee, “O brother! You must be from out of town. What’s that, Slovenian, bub? Ha! What’s it all mean?” The latest winner of $95 replied, “It means, Hear O Israel, Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is one. And you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” There was a long silence. Then the morning show host slashed his finger across his throat; the engineer knew what that meant – hang up immediately – and he did. Yet the host lost no enthusiasm as he gleefully cried, “Sorry, ha! Wrong number,” and cut to a commercial. Now, try to remember. “What was it you said when you rolled out of bed” – this morning?
“Oooh. Church again. Oooooh!”
Chances are, your first words of the day, whatever they were, set the tone for the rest.
Uncle Don’s AttitudeThe pious Hebrew believer sets the course of the day with the first words. Those words are always the same – “Shema, Yisra'el! Yahweh Eloheynu Yahweh echad!” These words were first spoken by Yahweh himself, given to Moses for his first words for every day – and his last words: who relayed them to all Israel as their first and last: who’s given them to us for our first and last. “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Teach them to your children and repeat them when you lie down and when you rise,” says the Almighty (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). My great uncle Don in Toledo emailed me as I was writing this message. He’s eighty-seven years old and was brought up in a Christian family. Every Sunday morning he wakes up and thinks about going to church – but he doesn’t go. He wrote, “I almost went last Sunday but thought better of it. Figured out that I’d be constantly criticizing the Preacher and would gain nothing by doing so. Nobody cares what I think.” With that attitude, he would gain nothing – except the Holy Spirit fall on him. There’s an Uncle Don in each family. We might even be him.
With All Your HeartLike this man of letters in the Gospel reading, asking Yahshua, “Which commandment comes first?” This may be a trick. No matter which of the 613 commandments he chooses, he’ll get a barrage of criticism. In Mark, there’re over a dozen occasions when scholars oppose Yahshua. They mock him, dispute him, conspire against him. They pounce on whatever he says. Yet the scribe backs off when Yahshua answers, “You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart.” It’s no wonder. The primary privilege of every creature is to love Elohim with the entire heart, the ancient center of passion and trust. In fact, loving the Father in heaven is the main purpose of human life – this is what we’re created to do – this is the best and highest service we can render! If we do no other work, loving the Father is work enough. When we were baptized in the Hebrew name Yahshua (or Jesus, I guess), and grafted into the people and promises of Israel, we were given the same script to follow. For the commandment declares our primary allegiance and binds us to our greatest responsibility: “You shall love Yahweh your Elohim.” How much shall you love Elohim? “With all your heart.”
With All Your SoulWhat does it mean to love the Father in Heaven? We’ve developed self-love into a fine art – even a career – even an obsession. But Torah teaches, “You shall love Yahweh with all your soul (as well as your heart).” In the Hebrew mind, the soul isn’t an immortal ghost of a person that flies off when the body dies. The soul is an integral part of the body. The soul is the part of us that breathes, that contains life and expresses life. One day, Yahweh scooped up some mud by the riverbank and formed it into a humanoid that was only a statue until Yahweh breathed into its nostrils. Then, the statue became a being; or, as one Bible translates it, a living soul. The chemicals of that dried up mud pie became a person of feelings, intelligence, emotion and the capacity to love. The breath caressed the mud man and it came alive – one living soul. To love Elohim with the soul, therefore, is to love with – the breath; every single breath. We affirm that Yahweh is the source of every breath, who lends it. And now, “in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). We retain the capacity to love Yahweh because he first loved us. By commanding us to love him with soul and breath, he orders us to do what’s best – and we can only because his Holy Spirit has made it possible.
Breath PrayersCenturies ago, some considered this “breath of life” in a memorable way. Prayer was a breathing exercise. “As you inhale,” they taught, “thank Yahweh for the gifts which are given you for today. As you exhale, tell Yahweh how you are going to use those gifts.” For example, breathe in and say, “Father, thank you for my daily needs.” Breathe out and say, “Father, strengthen me to do your will.” Breathe in and pray, “Father, thank you for acquitting me.” Breathe out and pray, “Father, help me acquit others.” The early monks said, “Let every breath be a prayer.” This also goes back to the mercy prayer we spoke of in a recent message. Breathe in and pray Kyrie eleison. Breathe out and pray, Christe eleison. These phrases are worth memorizing in the Greek, then they can easily be prayed all day, all night, just by breathing. Do you remember what these “breath prayers” mean in English? This is why we do “breath prayers” – a prayer, praise or utterance that can be spoken in but one breath. (Joann Landry was masterful with breath prayer, rest her soul. She could express more genuine love and gratitude to the Father in one breath than anyone I’ve ever heard.)
William CarterOur breath is the power behind every word and song, every action and relaxation. Bill Carter tells the story of the “Singin’ Welshman” to illustrate the importance of applying breath to love and life. Carter writes: There’s a dear friend of mine who can be a difficult houseguest. We love one another deeply, but he has an annoying habit. From the moment he opens his eyes in the morning, my friend Guy sings church hymns at the top of his lungs. He prefers loud Welsh hymns in minor keys, although sometimes he changes keys and does not know it. It has been said of some singers that what they may lack in tone quality, they compensate in volume. The last time Guy stayed in our home, he woke me at 6:45 one Saturday morning by blasting out, “O God of earth and altar ....” {download the sheet music}
Over a bleary-eyed cup of coffee, I put our friendship on the line by asking, “Why do you belt out a hymn when you wake up?” And he replied, “Haven’t you heard it said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your soul?’”
With All Your MindYahshua adds something extra to the commandment: “You shall love HIM with all your mind.” Yahshua’s words were circulated in the Greek language for a purpose. Everyone spoke Greek. The Greeks especially valued the concepts of mind, intellect, logic, rhetoric and reason. The mention of the mind would appeal directly to those who revered Greek culture, such as the Romans. The mind as “the faculty of thinking, reasoning, and applying knowledge[1],” and the ability to love with the mind, has always been a Hebrew notion as well. The mind is the center of all intellect, and must be nourished if it’s to be healthy for loving and praising the Father. Yahweh doesn’t need any more mindless automatons or ignorant, blathering preachers. There’re plenty to go around. Br. Hobart went to a ministers meeting in town and was seated by a rabbi. Not knowing much outside the Possum Pines Baptist Church, Hobart asked the rabbi how he spent his time. “Do ya sacrifice chickens and goats and such?” asked Hobart. The rabbi replied, “No. I do what you do, I suppose. I order the worship service, preach the sermon, go to meetings, counsel the troubled and visit at the hospital.” Br. Hobart asked, “Then what’s the most important thing them city Jews pay ya to do?” The rabbi kept his composure and answered, “The most important thing my congregation pays me to do – is study. Do you study, Reverend?” How easily we get caught up in trivial pursuits and forget that we’re called up to love our Heavenly Father intelligently and intellectually as well as emotionally and routinely. One professor put it this way: “If G-d became a human being who experienced human life, then Christians are called to think [in godly terms] (theologically) about everything, from the environmental crisis to last night’s sitcom.” I agree.
Deadliness in Pop CultureNo, it’s not enough to love Yahweh with deep feelings. We need a love that thinks profound and informed thoughts. People in church suffer from stagnation and malnutrition of the mind. Often anything challenging to their brain is rejected. I visited a dying woman in the hospital, connected by tubes to noisy machines. (Every minister has had this experience.) She was a church member, but never applied her mind. She had questions about death. I saw her reading material close by: tabloids about reincarnation, magazine about the past lives of soap stars, a book by a TV psychic. Not a Bible or any source of truth regarding death in the room. What destroyed this lady’s eternity was the theological silliness of her trendy religion. And in her failure to find suitable answers, we’re again reminded, “You shall love Yahweh Elohim with all your mind” as well as the rest. If the only intellectual nourishment we get is from People Magazine, The Wheel of Fortune, FM95, or some TV preacher, then we can certainly develop no capacity to comprehend the depth of love or love Him properly. We all have to deal with difficult ethical issues and life-or-death decisions almost every day. With only a third-grade Sunday School education, how can we come to proper conclusions? If a person’s stupid or impaired or retarded, there’s great grace – but if a person’s just slothful or unconcerned or choose to be ignorant of essentials truths, then how can she love the Father with her mind, as she is instructed?
How to Love With the MindThe remedy? There are plenty of remedies. We have adult education classes here three times a week. They’re more entertaining than Wheel of Fortune and far more worthwhile. Best yet, you don’t have to go far or stay long. There’s also a small but excellent church library where you can get books, tapes, magazine or DVDs that’ll expand your mind, as Father desires it. There are fictions, too, which, in very entertaining ways, teach just how the Elohim have rearranged history to bring about this great life of yours. You’ll learn to appreciate and love your Father more. Have you ever thought you might work your way through a short book in the Bible with a commentary, or purchase an inexpensive daily devotional, or bring your family together for a reading of prayers instead of the mindless forms of entertainment that now waste your life? Blessed is the one who seeks to love Father Yahweh Elohim through the labor of the human brain. If you agree with that, say “Hallelu-yah!”
How to Love With StrengthFinally, “You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your strength.” Love is also something we do. “Love” may be a noun, but it’s also what elementary school students call “an action verb”; doing it tests our energy, flexes our muscles and makes us strong. Holden didn’t
consider love-in-action when he married Lily. Over and over, he told his
new wife, “I
He complained, “But … but I do love you. I feel it; I say it; I think it; I know it. I love you! I love you!” But Lily wouldn’t back down. “Holden, I love you too – enough to keep my mouth shut until now. But if you really loved me as you say, you’d do something – you’d keep your word and do your share. You’d put your motor where your mouth is!” Lily was tough, but she was right, because she knew the Father’s love-list included heart, soul, mind and strength.
The Kind of Love That Can Be CommandedTo love Father Yahweh with all our strength is to keep our part of the relationship. We’re to do the tasks that Father has called us to and made possible for us to complete. What’s called for here is the kind of love that can be commanded. Each day we awaken to face tasks and ministries for Yahshua’s sake – that includes assembling with your brothers and sisters and learning so you can love better. If we pledge each new morning to love HIM with all of our strength, we’ll know that ours is Yahweh’s work, and we can then delight in his ways and walk in his love. What should be said when we roll out of bed? Someone phrases the commandment as a prayer in these words, “I will love Yahweh Elohim with all my passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.”[2] Those are excellent words to breath from our hearts and blow through our lips. With them, we announce that our day will be directed, not just spent. Then despite the daily stumble through the dirty socks of our lives, our hearts and minds and souls and strengths are pointed elsewhere – heavenward – and we aim ourselves in love toward the Father who first loved us.
O YAH of earth and altar,
bow down and hear our cry,
From all that terror teaches, from lies of
tongue and pen,
Tie in a living tether, the prince and
priest and thrall;
[1]
Fourth definition, The American Heritage® Dictionary of the
English Language, Fourth Edition [2] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1993), p. 12 |
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Yahweh bless you as you do everything in your ability to honor him. Jackson Snyder (801) 850-6901 Vero Beach, FL |
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