Love Rules ~ Mike MacIntosh

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him. - Mark 12:28-34

God loves you so much, and He made it really easy to live for Him. All you need to do is love Him. This is the first, and greatest, commandment. Christianity isn't about laws, rules, regulations, and religious activities. It's all about our love for Him. It's all about our heart-felt desire to please Him. And when we fall in love with Him, then we start falling in love with the Bible (His written word to you), and with prayer (His verbal communication with you), and for the world around us that so desperately needs His love.

It's one thing to say those words, though; it's another thing to believe them and to live them out. In this passage we see religious scribes who believed what Jesus said was accurate, but they didn't take it to heart or live it out in their lives. You see, it's easy to simply state that something is true, but it takes faith to truly believe it and to change the way you live your life. The scribes weren't ready for that kind of commitment--isn't that sad? They weren't really ready to love God and to love people. What's left? Loving yourself, and loving your own desires and plans. But who would want to be around such prideful, selfish people who only loved themselves and thought that they were the cat's meow? Jesus said that we are honored and blessed when we put God first and others ahead of ourselves. That's right; serving and loving go hand in hand. God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son. We should love God so much that we're willing to die to self and live for Him. We should love our Lord so much that we're willing to serve and minister to one another.

The greatest gift God has given you is His love. You don't need money, or good looks, or "potential," or any other trait. You have the ability, by faith, to love Him and love each other. And what better way to live your life than to have assurance that the God of the universe loves you unconditionally. Start living your life to the fullest and love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.