Mark 12:28-34
The Love Commandments
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.
John 17:3
Know This is Eternal Life
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
1 John 4:8
God is LOVE
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
When Jesus spoke of the two Great Commandments, He was speaking about love...We are to love God and we are to love our neighbors...Jesus seems to eternally link the love of God and the love of neighbor together...God are neighbor are forever linked by our love...The cornerstone of these two commandments are love...In fact, St. John says we have to know about love, or we do not know God...He writes, "Whoever does not know about love does not know about God, because God is LOVE."...Jesus wants us to think about love, and the importance of love in one's life...His words about love are profound...His Kingdom is about love...Love helps us look forward to the things in life...Being with, working around, and living around those we love makes us happy...The people we love, and those we love to be around and loving God helps us to love life...Love is a necessary part of life, and begins at birth...
If we believe that God is our Creator, and that He is LOVE, then He must have put His LOVE in the image and into those things He has made and created...
And while love gives us support, strength, and happiness in this life...Loving God and His Son helps us to the afterlife...I think one can more appreciate this life, when they believe in God and His Son and we can see and feel a purpose in our lives...Faith in God and His Son, and knowing that we are saved by His grace makes us think less than one-dimensional and we can better think of things like Spirit and the soul and eternity...Loving God gives us hope...Hope was born when He sent His Son to save us...To truly appreciate this life we need to know the Father and the Son, which Jesus says defines as eternal life...