Daily Walk #4: The Greatest Commandment

Today’s Readings

Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34

Key Verse

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love you neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

—Matthew 22:37-40

Today’s Reflections

L is for the way you look at me.

O is for the only one I see.

V is very, very extraordinary.

E is even more than anyone that you adore can.

Love is a simple little word with a whole lot of meaning behind it. Embedded within it is so much complexity, hope, healing, and more.

First John 4:7-8 says God is love, so it’s no surprise that the greatest commands He gave us center around that one four-letter word.

So here it is—the moment you’ve been waiting for. The greatest commands of all time—spoken by Jesus himself: 1) love God and 2) love people.

That’s it. Plain and simple. Every head bowed and every eye closed before the Lord. I’ll give the invitation now. Or not. Because it’s not that simple, is it? After thousands of years, we’re still flawed and therefore flummoxed by it.

Scripture says everything depends on these two commands. Everything. They’re packed with power. They’re rich and full. The commands are simple, but we make them more than complex. So let’s unpack it and go deeper.

What does it look like to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (plus strength, per Mark’s version)?

It’s not just saying it with your mouth and following it up with a good deed. It’s committing your will, affections, and understanding to Him—your physical, emotional, and mental capacities—every fiber of your being.

It’s a passionate, fierce, unwavering allegiance to the Most High. It’s a promise to remain faithful when your circumstances lure you in the opposite direction. It’s trusting He knows best even when you don’t understand.

Like marriage, it’s for better or worse, for richer or poorer. It’s committing your life to Him in covenant and placing Him above all else—above your spouse, children, job, desires, stuff, status, relationships, culture, experiences, feelings, knowledge, everything.

But wait, there’s more. The second command is like the first: love people just like you love yourself.

Ewww. Yuck. Ouch. Uncomfortable. Who wants to do that in a self-saturated society like ours? It’s easier to just mind our own business. It’s easier to plug our headphones in and tune the world out. It’s easier to avoid eye contact and pretend we didn’t see them.

But it must be done because it’s important to Him. And what’s important to Him should be important to us.

All obedience begins with a fierce love for Jesus first. That means you put you aside. You take a step back in line and let Him lead. Then you take another step back and get out of the way so others can get closer and see Him clearly.

So there you have it. Love God. Love people. Simple enough, right?