Complete devotion is required

I gave a lesson about our singing in worship last week (and was soundly rebuked for mentioning some "traditional" songs that we probably shouldn't be singing - similar, but not nearly as discouraging as what Ward endured) and it lead me to a personal revelation.

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 22 Jesus is "tested" by a lawyer who tries to trip Jesus up by getting Him to admit that one command is more important than another. Of course, Jesus answers in a way which should have soundly humbled the lawyer. His response was as follows (from verse 37):

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

What struck me were Jesus' expression of the devotion we are to show our Heavenly Father, Lord, and God. Jesus said that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. I have always known that to be representative of complete devotion to God, but I hadn't really broken it down like this. What Jesus is talking about is being completely wrapped up in God in our emotions, spirit, and intellect. If I leave out any of these pieces, I'm cheating God. I am sinning if I don't allow myself to be completely entralled in all of these aspects of my life.

From what I have seen, the Lord's church today clings to the intellectual side (sometimes not even that so much) and neglects the spirit and abhors the emotional aspect. Not any of the three should be regarded as more important than the other. So, those who focus solely on the emotional side (as Paul spoke of in Romans 10) and neglect the intellectual aspects are wrong just as those who are "all head and no heart" are wrong.

I know I personally need to be more involved in my heart and spirit as I live for God. I believe that the intellectual approach is the soundest approach for convincing and converting the lost to the Lord's body (emotional & spiritual appeals are too subjective), but if we have someone visit with our congregation and see an absence of emotional, spiritual devotion to God, all of the reasoned arguments in the world aren't going to convince that sinner that we are practicing new testament christianity - because we AREN'T if we don't have the total devotion.

God wants all of me. He wants all of you. Where do you need to improve? What suggestions can you offer for drawing closer to God with my whole being?