In Christian Love
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.
Mark 12:30-31 (CSB)
Love is a fundamental truth for humanity. The Lord has called His people to love Him with all their being and to love others as themselves. When considering the essence of Christian love, one must strive to express love vertically, horizontally, and inwardly. As we reflect on the Lord's words today, may we endeavor to love Him more deeply, love others more fully, and appreciate ourselves properly.
LOVE GOD
Jesus calls believers to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Loving God in this way requires complete surrender to Him. When God is loved wholeheartedly, the follower of Christ lives a life of total dependence and gratitude before the Lord. A true love for God must stem from the proper understanding that He is the creator and humanity is His creation.
LOVE OTHERS
The command to love God is accompanied by the command to love others as oneself. The ability to love others arises when we adopt the proper perspective on who they are as God’s creation. Our love for others must drive our mission to reach them with the message of the gospel because we recognize their value and worth in the Lord. This love fuels our capacity to extend respect and compassion to others, reflecting who God is.
LOVE SELF
The love of self must be rooted in one's identity in Christ. It should never be prideful or self-centered, nor should it lead someone down a path of self-absorption or cause them to believe everything must conform to their standards. True love of self emerges when individuals recognize their status as creations of God. They appreciate their value in being wonderfully and fearfully made, crafted for a specific purpose. The love of self does not involve elevating oneself but rather understanding one's identity in the context of God as both Creator and divine being.
QUESTIONS
Why is it easy to love the self, give lip service to God, and choose who we love?
What steps can we take to develop a proper love for God, others, and the self?
