The Greatest Commandment

Love God.  Love Others.  Love Self.

It is a commandment, not an option.  For a God that has everything – all the money, wisdom, time, influence, fame – the only thing He wants is our voluntary love.  It is His will for my life.  Everything that I encounter to develop this truth.

The God of the Universe, the Creator of the World, the King of Glory….

He wants my heart!!!

 The more I ponder this marvelous reality, the more I purpose to set the gyroscope of my mind, my will, my emotions, my strength on the pursuit of giving Him my love – it seems the definition of what that can elude me.  But it really is a marvelous journey – like Nemo in the ocean of God’s love.

I know when I love what He loves, I am loving Him.  I will never forget the day my mind was burned with the revelation that the heart of God is like a huge diamond with each of us reflecting a facet of Jesus to Him.  The whole world opened up to me like a treasure hunt – looking for the Jesus in everyone I meet –  the ones I like, the ones I don’t understand (because I don’t dislike people I know that if I don’t connect it is my issue), the stranger in the marketplace, the politicians, my friends, my family… and even me.

I know the Word says, “If I love Him, I will keep his commandments.”  Since I do love Him, what are the commandments?  I heard it said that the Sermon on the Mount is Christianity 101. It is the principles of living a life of love for Him.  Ooooh, how cool is that?  Love looks like…. a pure heart.  What is a pure heart?  What does it look like?  And the quest for treasure continues.

I know the Love Chapter, I Corn 13, says, “Love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, does not keep score, does not delight in evil, rejoices in truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”  So, in other words, love is a lot of “it is not about me.”

I know for me, the motivation of my love has grown from fear of rejection for not wanting to disappoint Him.  For years “the standards” were the measuring stick of your love for God.  Those “standards” became maligned as legalism.  But really, the laws of the universe just explain the “how’s” of the universe.  You can fight the “Law of Gravity” all you want, but you will still bust your bum if you trip.  So, if those standards seem like legalism, but explain what makes God feel loved, then why would I fight it and end up with a sore bum?

My quest to know that “I am loved [by God] and I am a lover [of God]…” is a lifelong adventure but in this season, I am renewing my focus to ponder…”What does love look like?” and study The Greatest Commandment.

#1 in my quest for revelation of The Great Commandment.  To read more on pursuing The Great Commandment, go to the next blog in this series “Because He Loves.”