Mark 12:28-34 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Jesus put it right down to the heart of the matter. How I relate to God will determine how I relate to you. Friends, you can’t have love without a relationship. Without train tracks, a train isn’t any good to anyone. Without a relationship, your “love” isn’t really going to do anyone a lot of good. If you have someone that you are out of sorts with…give that relationship to God…the same God who sent His Son to die for…yes…both of you. Notice that the command places self love and love for others on an even footing. That is because the person who recognizes who God is and who he is, will see that the value of everything and everyone is ultimately set by The Creator. My relationship with God establishes a correct image of myself which then allows me to take His incredible love and give it to others…actively.
What are you spending your time developing? Relationships that allow you to love and be loved? That is the secret to the life of victory. I wanted to keep this short…because it takes a lot of effort to put your entire heart, soul, mind and strength into a love relationship with God…and I’m sure it’s a whole lot more fun to be living it out than to talk about what it would be like. The funny thing is, the more you seek out God, the more I (and everyone else around you) is going to benefit. God pulls us to Himself and then points us to each other. I trust God’s work in you, so go ahead and build that relationship to let His love flow.
Blessings,
Craig