1 John 4:8
God is LOVE
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Mark 12:28-34
The Greatest Commandment
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ’There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Genesis 1:27
Mankind is Created in the Image of God
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
John 10:10 (KJV)
Jesus Came to Give Us Life More Abundantly
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Relationships, the Bible is much about intimate relationships...And this must be good for us...
Jesus was ask of all the commandments, which is the most important...And He actually answers the questions about the Ten Commandments and the most important ones...“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One...Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’...The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’...There is no commandment greater than these.”...
By answering this question, we might conclude that seeking and loving God and loving our neighbors and having a good, happy relationship with both God and neighbor will make us happy in life or make us happier...I come to this conclusion, because Jesus teaches us the importance of having relationships with God and our neighbors by saying this is the most important commandment it has to be good for us and make us happier in life...Jesus constantly taught about God and the Kingdom of God and in helping other others...And here He speaks of loving them...If we do this, then there must be success in our lives...And in these things of having a good relationship with God and having a good relationship with your neighbors, a joy and happiness occurs...Jesus wants to make our joy complete...There is this JOY with finding Jesus and His Father...
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is One and there is no other but Him...To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”...When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”...And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions...
By Jesus saying these things about the Ten Commandments and to this gentleman, I believe to love God and to love your neighbors and to have them as friends are a part of the abundant life that Jesus talks about...Somehow having faith in Jesus ties us and these things together...God is LOVE...And this is good for us...And maybe because we are made in His Image and the fact the He is LOVE, when we seek Him, find Him, and love Him and adding to that -when we love our neighbors, we are in some ways having faith in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and our lives then are better lived, happier lived and we live more abundantly...