Love God, Love Others

Week 7, Tuesday

Amy Hood

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. . . . Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

Imagine the situation—the Creator of the universe being backed into a corner. Have you ever felt like that? That’s exactly what one of the teachers of the law was trying to do. He asked Jesus the following question: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Mark 12:28). Likely expecting to hear Jesus quote one of the Ten Commandments, imagine the man’s surprise when Jesus quickly and most assuredly gave him the greatest commandment . . . and it wasn’t one of the ten. And, just to add a little icing on the cake, He also gave him the second most important one. I love it when God shows off . He is God and He can do that.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why in the world am I even on this earth?” The answer is very easy. You were placed on this earth to love God and love others. Simple, right? Neither one of these is always simple. Sometimes we might be angry with God. Sometimes we might be angry with others, and there are some people who are just unlovable.

But what does Scripture tell us? Love God and love others. But God, what about those people who are hard to love? Love God. Love others. What about when You didn’t answer my prayer, God? Love God. Love others.

Jesus also told us specifically how to love Him. He said to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The last time I checked, that’s pretty much everything. His desire is for us to love Him with everything that we have. He wants all of us. Ask yourself if you love God with all that you are. Are you loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? What does that kind of love for the Father look like? It’s being head over heels in love with Him. And still, none of that compares to the love that He has for us.

Father, thank You for loving us. Though we can never comprehend how much You love us, allow others to see Your love through us. In Jesus’ name, amen.