Mark 12:30, 31


Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” ~ Mark 12:30, 31

I always thought I understood this verse. To love God with all my heart, mind and strength meant to love Him with everything that I had, I was, and could be. And that is true, but what I did not understand was that I could fail Him without my knowledge, simply because love is such a big word. In God’s realm, love is perfect. In mine, it is imperfect. I can claim to love God, but does my love for Him bring from my life the righteousness and true holiness of the One I love? I have to say that I am not consistent in this. I am too often weak and unholy. My obedience, though I want it to be constant, sometimes is not; my inward affections are at times swayed, and my obedience is not always cheerful and willing allowing the fruit of the Holy Spirit to shine forth from my life. Ah, but here is the key to loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength: I need a Saviour! Jesus is my Saviour, and Him I cling to, and through Him, I willingly obey. With all my powers endowed through His Holy Spirit, I love God the way I should. And, I can love my neighbour, not with the selfish and sinful love which I love myself, but I will love my neighbour with the love of Christ. Healthy self-love is necessary for it will keep me from evil and will seek for me the greatest amount of good. This is how I am to measure love for my neighbour. I am to be tender and affectionate toward myself, as I am to my neighbour. And I am to be patient with myself, yet also persevere, so that my efforts succeed. These qualities too, I am to hold in my heart for others. With my Saviour, I will love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and with His love within me I can love my neighbour and seek his good. In this way I can honour these commandment as I should.

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