And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him,
Which is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mark 12:27 -30 KJV
When the scribe inquired about the “first” commandment, Jesus answered swiftly, and responded with authority and assurance. To love the LORD fully and completely, is not just about “loving” Him per se, but rather, it’s also about “choice.”
It’s one thing to read His Word, and recite some passages here and there, but it’s quite another thing to “fully endorse” the LORD, in all things, and include Him in all of the equations in our lives.
In other words, overtly choosing Him every day, while adhering to His Doctrine, and applying those standards to what we do. How we act, and what we say is an integral part of our Christianity, and crucial to our growth in the Spirit.
If we half-heartedly do things because we feel “obligated” because of our faith, then that really isn’t what the LORD is referring to with His answer about the “first commandment.”
To love wholeheartedly and unabashedly, is to pronounce and proclaim this continuously, no matter the circumstances, 24/7.
When we love Him unconditionally, it is a prolific statement in our hearts, and in our deeds. It is a reflection of “His countenance” when we apply that kind of love, and dedication in all aspects of our lives.
It’s not to say we won’t experience adversity or painful scenarios and circumstances, after all…no one is impervious to sorrow or discourse of some nature. However, we will be able to overcome with a buoyancy, that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to navigate quite so easily, if we didn’t have the LORD, and all that encompasses, every single day, in which we live here on earth.
The glorious rewards, we shall reap when we are called home, will far outweigh anything that we’ve been through in the past, now or tomorrow. Eternal bliss is priceless, and to clarify it while embracing the love of GOD, and the love we have for Him, makes all things bearable and sustainable.
A favorite passage of mine that really pertains to all of us is 1 Corinthians 10:13, the message is abundantly clear. “There isn’t anything that we are going through that someone else hasn’t gone through before, and the LORD never gives us more than we can handle, and most important, He will always provide a way out of it.”
To be a special part of a “royal family” of the LORD, we must love Him, because we “want to,” choosing consciously to be with Him, on all levels in spirituality, and formulating it constantly. It’s a valuable part of living.
Quite frankly, it’s seemingly easy to “love Him.”
We, on the other hand, are not that easy to love, and yet…He loves us more than we could ever possibly imagine, or comprehend, and for that alone…isn’t He worth loving with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?
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