In the Bible love is not an abstract or vague term – it involves our intellect and behavior. In Deuteronomy 6:5 we read that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength. Unfortunately, we often misinterpret the Hebrew words for heart (lēbāb), soul (nephesh), and strength (mēʼōd), through a Greek psychological perspective and think of it as attributes of human personality. However, the Hebrew word lēbāb is used to represent the seat of all our emotions and intellect. The Hebrew word nephesh means throat or neck through which breath is taken; it indicates life. Finally, the Hebrew word mēʼōd, appears only twice in the Old Testament as a noun, and it stands for economic or social strength.
What it means is that we are to love God using our emotions and our intellect. We are to love God in such a way that we are ready to die for Him. Finally, we are love God so much that we willing sacrifice our wealth, our status, and our power for Him. We cannot have such a love for God without realizing that our life in God’s hands and everything we have belongs to God.
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