Love God and Your Neighbor Above All Things

Seriously? Love God and Your Neighbor Above All Things? How?

"And you shall 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, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Most mature Christians know the Scripture "Mark 12:30" by heart. But do we really know it? Seriously, do we really know what it is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Do we even stop to think about it? What about Mark 12:31? Do we believe we can love our neighbor as ourselves? Is it possible? What would it look like to fulfill both verses, 30 and 31, in your life if it is possible?

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But How? How do we love God above all things! The Bible is clear on this subject, we are commanded to love God with all our mind and strength, putting Him above all things, and we are to do it with our whole being!

"Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare." Psalms 40:5

The Bible also tells us that there is nothing that compares to God... nothing, and it's not even close! I agree, without hesitation - in my life, there is nothing that compares to the absolute goodness of God.

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." John 21:25

Don't you agree with me? What is bigger than God? What could be bigger than the ONE who made it all?

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

Do I praise God always?  I wish! But it is still true, God is so much bigger than ALL things, so I praise Him a lot, and I thank Him a lot! But constantly? Do I praise God all day long with all of my mind and heart? I want to! I wish it were possible.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Acts 20:24

But How? Even If It Were Possible, How?

How does one actually love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength? Is it even impossible? Is this an impossible demand? Can it be fulfilled? Or is it a setup for failure?

With everything going on in my life, with all the pressures and responsibilities and demands on my life as a husband, father, and employer... Do I... can I... can I actually love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? The answer is, an emphatic YES! ABSOLUTELY I CAN, AND I DO...

Let me tell you how. How do I love God with all my heart, mind, and soul? More importantly, how do I love my neighbor as myself? How do I fulfill this Scripture? Through Christ!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I choose to believe that I am the righteousness of God because of the abundance of GRACE. I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and I am made HOLY, and not by anything I did, but by what Jesus did. However, I receive it ALL as a free gift of GRACE!

Jesus did it all for us, through Grace, and that as a free gift of salvation. Literally, Jesus supplied everything you and I would ever need for salvation and godliness.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

And, Jesus did all of this beautiful work of grace before the foundation of the world. Yes, before the foundation of the world was created, the love of God through Christ was given to us through Grace.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5

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