One of the scribes approached Jesus and asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?” “This is the most important,” Jesus answered. “Listen Israel! The Lord our God. The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.” Mark 12:28-29
We love because He first loved us. For if anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. 1 John 4:19-20
My words…
In An Attempt To Understand
It’s an interesting thought: being commanded to love. What’s even more interesting is that I’m being commanded to love the One who is commanding me to love. And not just any love but one that permeates every facet of what makes me who I am – the unseen parts: heart, soul, mind, strength. I need a weightier dose of Your teaching Spirit to help me understand. Committing all my heart, soul, mind and strength to You is not something to be taken lightly. And so I’ve been sitting in Your classroom, asking for deeper understanding. We both know You don’t need my love, then why command it of me? Here is what I have learned: If I didn’t love You, I wouldn’t know how to love others. And it is very important to You that I love others. When I lay claim to the inestimable treasure of Your love for me, my unseen parts are attuned to loving everyone You love. If it means commanding me to love You, then so be it. The two greatest commands are inextricably forged. If I am struggling to show love to those around me, then I must accept my love for You has floundered. Loving You with all my unseen parts is the gradual cutting away of the dead me so the living You is free to take over. You showed me how to love by loving me first. And You did so without being commanded by anyone because You are, of course…LOVE. This is my attempt to understand. How did I do?
