You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind

Matthew 22:37-39 (Amplified Bible)

And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’

If someone were to ask the question, "What is the essential message of Jesus and Christianity?" This would be the answer: To walk with Christ is to choose to love God with all that we are. Our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit, and everything we do is an act of worship. Our jobs, how we treat our families, and how we live on a daily basis are all worship to the Lord.

This is why having areas of compromise in our lives can be so damaging. It not only destroys our intimacy with God, but also opens the door for the devil to kill, steal, and destroy. The devil can't make us do anything, and it is important to remember that when we are tempted, God will always provide a way out (1 Cor 10:13).

We are not only called to love God with everything; we are also called to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is impossible to do the latter without first doing the former. Before we can truly love as Jesus instructs us, we must walk daily with God and abide in Him. We need to develop a deep intimacy with Jesus Christ. By loving God wholeheartedly and abiding in Him, His love will be manifested in us. The love of God is supernatural, and it is impossible for anyone to truly love as God commands without His grace and power.

Are there difficult people to love? Yes. Are there people who are like sandpaper that God uses to mold, shape, and refine us? Yes. But when we choose to love those individuals, we will witness God growing and changing us. The journey we have with Jesus is one of daily transformation. We are called to be conformed to His likeness and character. As we abide in Him, the things He commands in Scripture will become a reality in our lives.

Prayer

Father thank you for loving me. Thank you for your grace, power, and love in my life. Help me to love as you command in your word. Help me to love you with all that I am and to love my neighbor as myself. I thank you for every difficult person you have brought into my life. Father help me in my weakness. Help me to choose to love when it is hard. May your supernatural love fill me and be poured out on those around me. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!