...WITH ALL MY HEART - The Lord wants our total devotion. He is not willing to share our heart with another. He must be the primary object of our affection. Coming from deep within is our whole-hearted adoration and praise to the Lord. Deut. 5:7 says, "You shall have no other gods before me." I Sam. 16:7 says, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." "Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me," says Ps. 51. God wants all my heart, not part.
...WITH ALL MY SOUL - It takes the full expression of all our emotions to love Him. My soul will rejoice; He restores my soul; my soul rests; my soul yearns; my soul praises; my soul pants - all come from different places in God's Word. If we truly love someone there is emotion involved. We must not make all of our worship cerebral. There must be a full range of emotions involved when we worship Him.
...WITH ALL MY STRENGTH - It is appropriate, according to Scripture, to express physically what is happening or transpiring in our spirit. We use our bodies and the physical in our work and in our play and recreation, but the very highest use should be in worship. We honor and glorify Him in our bodies with great strength. We are told our bodies are temples and "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual worship." (Rom. 12:1)
...WITH ALL MY MIND - "Do not be conformed to this world, . . . set your minds on things above not on earthly things, . . . prepare your minds for action" are all words from scripture reminding us to not be distracted by this world, diverting our attention from Him and eternal things. Whether worshipping privately or gathered with the body of Christ, God is worthy of our full and laser-focused attention on Him when we worship. When we meditate on His character and attributes it deepens our understanding of Him and enhances our expressions of worship and praise! mjm