Perhaps you have seen the phrase, “Heart to God, hand to man” on the side of a Salvation Army building or seen written on the side of a thrift store truck. This phrase was a motto for The Salvation Army for many years. One of the reasons people liked this motto was that it gave purpose to the various activities and programs that The Salvation Army did. It told the world that while our hands were busy doing many “things,” our hearts are set on things above.  

We can become so focused on the hand to man, that Jesus’ words from Matthew 22:36 recently encouraged me to think more about my heart to God and what it meant to love God with all my heart, mind and soul. A book by author Ruth Haley Barton called “Sacred Rhythms” and a seminar by Salvation Army speaker Jeniffer Dake called Fit to Serve helped me answer this question.  

Love With Our Hearts

Our heart connection to God is the foundation upon which everything else is built; God’s Word strengthens this connection. Ruth Haley Barton gives great spiritual tools for us to connect with Scripture such as Lectio Divina. However, one spiritual tool that might be the most helpful is reading! Not only during a sermon or when completing a corps cadet lesson, but somewhere peaceful where your heart can really connect with what God is saying to you. Barton calls this, “Seeking to engage the Scriptures for spiritual transformation” and not just information (page 52, “Sacred Rhythms”).  

Think about when you’re eating a meal at a nice restaurant, one that is known for having very good food. Imagine after your food is served you try and eat it as quickly as possible and at the end of the meal, you believe the food was nothing special. This is often how we read the Bible! Instead of savoring each bite of this amazing meal and enjoying all the flavors, we quickly eat and wonder why others are saying that the Bible is this amazing book of truths that can shape and change our lives.  

I encourage you to take some time to read the Bible and really savor the words that you read—no passage is too small! Just take a small section and let God talk to you through it.    

Love With Our Minds

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NIV). I strongly believe that Satan uses any opportunity he can to plant seeds of doubt or temptation in our minds; this includes pictures in apps, words in songs or clips from movies. As Jeniffer Dake recently said, “When we wake up, the battle begins.”  

Dake says one of the best ways to be successful in this fight “is to have godly habits that push our head knowledge of what we know is true and right towards our hearts.” Our feelings and emotions can overcome Scriptural truth and we have to rely on habits to safeguard us from making bad decisions. Two habits that Dake encourages us to cultivate are worship and gratitude.  

Remembering to worship God daily (in whatever way we connect with Him) is really important. Worship sets the right attitude for our hearts, no matter what our day brings. Having an attitude of gratitude is really hard if we focus on the “nos” that surround us. As a teenager, you are likely used to hearing what not to do, where not to go and who not to be around. Instead, try and focus on all the yeses that are in your life—all the places you do get to go and things you can experience!       

Love With Our Souls

Most of us might grasp what loving God with our hearts and minds look like, but loving God with our souls is a hard concept to understand; this might be because we have a challenging time connecting to God with our inmost selves. Barton writes, “There are very few places where the soul is truly safe” (page 33, “Sacred Rhythms”). One of the reasons for this is technology and the ability to connect to others at any time.  

Barton suggests the discipline of solitude is a way our souls can best connect to God. This is not, as you might imagine, going to a cave or throwing away your cell phone, but it is taking time to intentionally disconnect from the world and spend time with God. This might look like a hike or a walk, listening to worship music or just spending one evening in your room without your cell phone on. Barton writes “…by turning off the noise and stimulation of our lives, we can hear our loneliness and our longing calling us deeper into the only relationship that can satisfy our longing” (page 36, “Sacred Rhythms”).  

I wonder, when the expert in the Jewish law asked Jesus a question to test Him in Matthew 22:36, if he was thinking of the many things that Jewish law and custom required him to do—some 613 laws! When he asked, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” this teacher was looking for a thing, an action, a hand to man (verse 36). Jesus then did what Jesus often does, turn the tables, and came up with an answer that no one was expecting—love! “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37, NIV). The next time you see the phrase, “Heart to God, hand to man,” I hope you take some time for your heart, mind and soul to connect with God.