“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.[e]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.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12.28-31
“I’ve often said that out of this greatest command, we have three subjects to love: God, others, and ourselves. It’s often easy to love God. I mean, he is the object of our desire, the one to whom we turn and trust. We’ve given him our hearts and lives, and loving him comes naturally.
Loving others is our second task, and this gets a little tricky at times, but in the end, we find love in our hearts for others. Be it family members, friends, or even strangers, if we have the love of Christ in us, then we tend to love others well.
However, loving ourselves can be contentious. We tend to be our own worst critics. It’s complicated, and psychologists could spend decades unraveling this mystery. Why do we often hate on ourselves? Our “self-talk” is not very forgiving. When we look in the mirror, we often do not like what we see.
But as Jesus affirmed, this is a commandment—God is not suggesting we follow along, he’s requiring it. And so the requirements are three-fold: love God, love others, and for heaven’s sake love yourself.
I am thankful for growing up in a family who loved me well. Although we are not perfect, we gain healthy self-images because of the love and encouragement fostered in my family. I am confident in who I am not only because of my family but because of my identity in God. I believe that I matter to God. Sometimes I am overly critical of myself, but then I’m reminded of Jesus’ words—”love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
And the greatest command begins with God’s oneness—”Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” He is good and he is God. The love that we have for God, others, and ourselves originates from God’s oneness: The three-in-one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, model love for us and to us.
So, who do you need to love most today? God, others, or yourself? Let’s practice loving well this day in keeping with God’s greatest command.
“O Lord God, I love you. I praise you. This life is good. Even with its ups and downs, you bless us. You have given us your presence as an inheritance. Come now, Holy Spirit, reside within your people. Make us your temple and your instrument of love and grace so the world might know. For you are good, and your love endures forever.” Amen”