For Starters

Most of us know that "the greatest command" in Christianity is love for God. But what does that really mean? And why is the greatest? Does this command merely insist that we must have a warm, fuzzy, sentimental feeling for God? If not why not?

So, What's the Story?

Matthew 22 contains the story of a lawyer who desired to test Jesus with a question that was an oft asked one, "What is the greatest command?" The question was so often asked because with in excess of 600 laws to obey, the average Jew felt a bit overwhelmed and yet wanted to be pleasing to God. "So," the question might be paraphrased, "which command is the most important one to obey, the one you must not violate in order to be pleasing to God."

In His great wisdom and understanding of God's will, Jesus answered the lawyer's question with what is called in Jewish circles as the Shema of Deut. 6:5, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.."

Loving God with the heart--The heart was the seat of a man's deepest and most personal thoughts, his true self. It certainly included emotions, but it was more. We must love God, in other words, genuinely, without hypocrisy, from the core of our being.

Loving God with the soul--The soul as the Jews of Jesus' day understood it, was the combination of both the body and the spirit of a man, the whole of a person. By extension it therefore included all of one's life, thoughts, deeds, and words.

Loving God with the mind--The mind was the seat of the intellect, thus, we are to bend even the powers of our intelligence as we love God. The implication is to desire to know more of Him by His word.

Note that this love is not just strong emotions, it includes deeds. Indeed, it can be said that our love can be most clearly seen by what we do. Like faith, love is a driving force that cannot be confined to mental activity; it will be demonstrated in our lives.

So What?

* Of the ways that we are taught to love God, which do you think is the most difficult? Why?
* Loving God the most means liking some things less and actually hating some other things. What would that mean when it comes to boyfriends/girlfriends? Sports? Hobbies? Parents? Prestige? The opinion of peers? What do you think is the most difficult thing to love less than God?
* Consider this interesting story and discuss whether we are like Peter or not:
* When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love (agape--the highest love, unconditional) me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love (phileo--love like a friend) you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love (agape--the highest love, unconditional) me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love (phileo--love me like a friend) you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love (phileo--love me like a friend) me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love (phileo--love like a friend) you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" (John 21:15-19, NIV).