The Real First Commandment

Do you know what the first commandment is? I used to think that I did. I mean I have heard a lot of ministers preach on the subject. If you have been around the church any amount of time you have probable heard preaching and teaching on the first commandment, or the greatest commandment. There is actually an abundance of teaching on the subject. Just out of curiosity I checked the internet to see how many teachings I could find on the subject of the greatest commandment. I was amazed to find over a quarter of a million teachings and references available on the subject! In addition to this I found several books as well.

So this begs the question? Why write this article? The desire matriculates from a welling up of the Holy Spirit. He keeps waking me up at all hours and speaking to me about "the real first commandment". So I have been taking notes and finally decided that it is important to document what I am hearing. I want to encourage you to complete the article as the hidden treasure, (I believe) is buried in the ending. Having said that I wonder why so many people have such a difficult time living their lives in accordance and in obedience to the first commandment?

You remember? When the scribes confronted Jesus and asked Him this question; "Which is the first commandment of all?" Some folks say the words of God that Moses spoke in Exodus 20:3 are the real first commandment; "You shall have no other gods before Me." In a manner of speaking that is right if we are looking strictly at the Ten Commandments. However, for Christians that is not necessarily so. Ever wonder why Jesus did not quote the first of the Ten Commandments to the scribes? Perhaps it was because The Lord came to establish a new and better covenant?

Most folks teach that the greatest commandment is found in the words of Jesus that proclaim;"'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.'" We see this quote in a harmony of three of the four gospels. (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and  Luke 10:27). Almost every teaching that I have heard or read about the greatest commandment of Jesus is based upon the precept of love. And I would agree that love is a very important principle and aspect of the greatest commandment, but one that very few people, including myself, are able to carry out in their everyday lives.

Let me also say there is a very important reason for this. For the sake of this article we  will come back to that issue later in this teaching. First let's examine what many in the church perceive and believe to be the greatest commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is it important to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind? And how can we actually do it? For most of us it is just not that easy, is it?

To understand that we need to take a look at exactly what the Lord means in this scripture and statement. What the Lord Jesus is really saying is that we need to worship and love God with all three elements of our being; spirit, soul, and body, and let's not forget that second part about loving our neighbors just like we love ourselves. For a lot of us that second part about loving our neighbors is the hardest thing in the world to do. We think; "Jesus, you just don't know my neighbors", and ultimately that is really silly isn't it!

What is the exact meaning of the language that Jesus uses when he instructed us to 'love' God and 'love' our neighbor. The word translated as love in this passage is the Greek word ????????, or agapao?; G# 25 pronouncedag-ap-ah'-o, meaning to  love (in a social or moral sense): - (be-) love (-ed). Some call this the God kind of Love. It means to love without measure, or to love selflessly. We see this same word agapao? used in John 3:16; For God so [loved] the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God loves us so much, that as you already know, He actually died for us to give us eternal life. Jesus is an unimaginable friend. 

In John 15:13 the Lord tells us this extraordinary thing about the God kind of love; "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." What is more; that is exactly what Jesus did for you and I. So that is how Jesus is saying He wishes for you and I to love; extravagantly, selflessly, excessively, to the point that we will lay down our life for not just our friends, but also for our neighbors. But who exactly is our neighbor? Does that mean the people in the house next door? Remember in Luke 10? A certain lawyer tested Jesus by asking Him; "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life"? Jesus answered by quoting guess what? The greatest commandment;" 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" 

Who Are Our Neighbors? 

In this passage the lawyer wishes to test the Lord with his 'superior knowledge of scripture' and continues his query by asking further; "And who is my neighbor?" To this Jesus responds with a parable. You remember, it was the parable of the good Samaritan. Well, let's look at how Christ Jesus defines our neighbor in the context that the Lord uses it in parable of the good Samaritan. Remember as a lawyer this man was highly esteemed as holy and a religious person who was an unquestionable authority on every aspect of the law of Moses, all 613 of them! 

Here is what Jesus taught about who our neighbors are; "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. "Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion."So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him [the lawyer], "Go and do likewise." 

Let's examine this parable from a sociological perspective and put a bit of a twentieth century twist to the Lords admonitions. First of all the lawyer was considered to be one or the most revered and knowledgeable dignitary in the Jewish society. He had devoted his life to studying the Torah and the Mosaic Law, (the Old Testament of the Bible), in its entirety...he could quote it from memory. He was perceived by those Hebrews standing by and listening to this confrontation as a holy man. He was perceived by the society to be well versed and a scholar in the things of God and the Law of Moses. So what we really see is a religious man challenging the Lord on His understanding of doctrine and scripture. This was a spiritual confrontation. Rarely were the lawyers authority concerning the Torah and Law of Moses questioned or challenged. To do so was paramount to heresy especially if the person doing the questioning was not another lawyer or a high priest. 

Christ's answer was actually astonishing when we look at in the context of Jewish society. Remember that He is addressing a 'certain lawyer'. Most likely this fellow was one of the more respected lawyers in Jerusalem, and not someone to be toyed with. The Bible highlights to us it was a 'certain lawyer' who asked Jesus the question in Luke 10 which motivated the Lord to share and preach the parable of the good Samaritan. In doing this Christ also fulfills a Messianic prophesy about His coming. (See Psalm 78). 

Again, it is important to understand that this man was an authority of Mosaic law. Let's examine this event in detail. This will help us to understand the greatest commandment with further clarity. There was a fatally wounded man, who had been robbed, beaten, and left naked upon the road to die. (Incidentally this is a prophetic picture of individuals who are without Christ's free salvation, including the lawyer who was confronting Jesus at that moment). 

Let's say this dying man was laying on the road that leads up to your church, and you were to see him this coming Sunday what would you do? The first person who sees the destitute and dying man was a priest. The priest in Christ's teaching about neighbors is not unlike the lawyer who was challenging Jesus at that moment. We see that the priest passed by on the other side of the road. Why? Because to the priest a non-Jewish victim was unclean and therefore he was not permitted to touch the victim because of the law of Moses. So it was better for him to let the man die than to break the law. 

Samaritans, Lepers, And Indians 

In 2005 I was eating lunch in downtown Gulu, Uganda with a missionary and a few friends. We were at an outdoor cafe and it was open to a large ditch that was beside the road. As we were eating our ugallie a leper settled into the ditch and removed his wooden leg and began to scratch his stump with the one remaining finger of his left hand. I jumped up and went over to speak to him indicating that I wished to pray for him. 

There were about 40 patrons in the restaurant. When they saw that I had begun to speak to the leper the locals began to watch what I would do with some interest. I was told later that the authorities allowed the lepers to come into the town to beg alms on certain days, and on other days it was illegal for them to be seen in town during business hours. (Their presence was bad for business. So the police would arrest them and return them to the leper colony). 

The patrons watched carefully as I indicated that I wanted to pray for the leper. The leper motioned that it was ok for me to pray for him. So, I laid my hands upon him and began to ask the Lord to heal him, praying for him for several minutes. Then I gave him about ten thousand shillings, (about five US dollars, or enough money to eat for a few days). As I stood-up to return to my lunch I noticed that many of the patrons were scrutinizing me carefully. When I stepped back into the cafe and walked to my seat about a dozen people scurried to the other side of the porch carrying their meals and gazing at me as if I had just sprouted horns. They were fearful that I might infect them with leprosy. (Some folks still look at me like that today, smile!). 

The reason that I am telling you about this incident is because it is a good analogy of how Samaritans were perceived and treated by the Hebrews in many cases. The Hebrews treated the Samaritans in much the same way that the locals in Gulu treated me and the local lepers. The interaction between the Jews and the Samaritans had a very similar dynamic. So with that in mind it was totally socially unacceptable for a Jew to interact with a Samaritan. 

John 4 illustrates the stigma that was between the Hebrews and the Samaritans. (John 4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him,[Jesus], "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) To touch or accept water from a Samaritan would have been sinful for a Jewish man much like to eating pork, or touching a leper.

 

Now, back to our parable. Likewise a Levite also passed by the dying man. In Jewish culture of the day a Levite was separated unto God and considered to be a 'cut above' that average worshiper of the temple. Levites were also considered to be Holy and closer to God than the average individual because of the religious traditions that prevailed at the time Jesus spoke this parable. However, the Levite seemed to have a little more compassion because Jesus said that the he 'came and looked', but then he also passed by on the other side. Why? Why pass by on the other side? Again it was taboo for the worship leader, (that would be a fair analogy of a Levite in the modern church today), to touch an unclean person thereby defiling himself and breaking the Law of Moses. 

Have you ever been walking through a city and seen a dirty drug addict laying on the street in a puddle of urine asking for money? Have you had a hard time making eye contact with such a person? Perhaps you have seen a homeless person with a sign begging for money at an intersection near your mall? I know that at times when I have seen folks like this I have 'looked and passed by on the other side'. But I digress, perhaps you may wish to remember this next time you are confronted with such a situation today...you see we still have opportunities to experience the dynamics of the parable of the Good Samaritan in our modern lives and society. Perhaps next time we should do something? No? 

Finally a 'certain' Samaritan 'came to where he was'. The Samaritan was just passing by like the lawyer, and he stopped and looked just like the Levite. (Remember both the Levite and the lawyer are considered to be close to God, righteous and Holy). However unlike the religious  lawyer, and holy Levite the Samaritan was moved by compassion and he not only stopped and looked, he helped the dying, naked victim. Therefore, when Jesus told the lawyer to behave like a Samaritan, and to do the things that a Samaritan did, it was outright blasphemy to his religious mindset. To the religious lawyer and the Hebrew on lookers this would have been taken as a great insult! 

Why? The Samaritans were a people group that were descended from the very seed of Abraham! However, it seems that the Jews in Israel and the people of Samaria had been at odds, or one could say in a family feud for a little over 700 years. (See 2 Kings 17). Let's look at this historical fact briefly as it has a direct bearing on the parable of the good Samaritan and who Jesus Christ actually teaches are our neighbors. 

Samaria was a land mass that was part of Palestine, and Palestine was once the capital of Israel. However, God allowed the Assyrians to overthrow the region about 700 or so years before Christ was born. This was the consequences of idol worship within Israel by God's chosen people. The Assyrians later sent people into the land to develop it and claim possession of it. (Much like America sent colonist into the Appalachian, and Blue Ridge mountains and beyond to possess the land that was the rightful property of the  indigenous people, the Indians, or to be politically correct Native Americans), but I digress. These Assyrian colonists started to marry the remaining Hebrews in Palestine and thus the Samaritan race was born and established. The Samaritans were not quite Jew, nor were they fully Assyrian. 

The Jews considered the Samaritans an inferior race, half breeds, and also religious heretics. (In much the same way that American colonists saw Native Americans like the Cherokees as an inferior race or savages. The American settlers also intermingled with the native people and produced offspring that grew into our current society. I, for example, am a product of a Cherokee grandfather, and 25% Native American. I am also an African American as we do have a address in Tanzania, but more importantly than that I am a child of God!). In a manner of speaking one could say that the author is a kind of  Samaritan, although I am not too sure that he could be considered a good one. But at last I digress again! 

Why you may ask did the Jews considered the Samaritans religious heretics? The Samaritans at one point offered their help to the Jewish people to rebuild the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. (See Ezra 4:1-4). The Jews rejected the Samaritans offer to help and thus the animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews was escalated and lasted over 700 years right up to the time of Christ. It should be noted that most Samaritans were worshipers of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 

However, when the Jews did not allow the Samaritans to help with the restoration of the temple building the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim. In today's vernacular we could call these events a 'church split'; (something's never change)! Therefore, between 700 BC or so and up to the time of Christ the Samaritans and the Jews had become bitter enemies and rivals. However, they to a degree still worshiped the same God. I could preach on this, but let's just say that this dynamic between Israel and Samaria was what we could term 'denominationalism' in today's church.

Now finally getting back to the parable of the good Samaritan. As you can imagine as a 'conquered' people the Jews had bitterness and hatred towards the Samaritans. This would be similar to how many Native American tribes and people felt towards the colonist after the 'trail of tears' and other atrocities the colonial settlers committed in the name of God under the guise of the false doctrine of 'Manifest Destiny'. For Jesus to suggest to the religious, holy, law abiding, lawyer that a Samaritan was his neighbor was paramount to telling him that the devil was his brother! Blasphemy! Imagine the nerve! This poor scraggly, uneducated, untrained itinerate preacher dared to tell that illustrious lawyer that a lowly heretical Samaritan was his neighbor, and to act like one! Not only that it was against the perceived Mosaic Law! It was blasphemous!   

The point Jesus makes is that we need to be concerned with the weightier matters like mercy, charity and justice and not be so concerned about our modern religious laws; what some of us call our denominational 'pillars of faith'. Our neighbor is humanity, and not necessarily the folks next door to us. Remember Jesus also rebuked esteemed religious leaders of His day for carnal and ungodly adherence to doctrinal laws. In Matthew 23:23 we see the Lord admonishing them with these not so very nice words; "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone." 

Is it any wonder that the scribes, lawyers, and Pharisees wanted to kill the Lord? When we begin to question doctrinal traditions we are sure to touch a religious nerve, but at last I digress again...but perhaps it is something we should consider and meditate upon. Maybe we might even want to have a little talk with God about these things? He would speak to us about this stuff you know! Today just like in Christ's time when individuals question the church's authority concerning doctrinal issues it often leads to church splits and denominational divisions. (Again, some things never change)! I could elaborate on the history of the Lords supper here. You know the communion table and how the doctrine surrounding it led to murder, division and denominational splits but that might open some ancient festering wounds in the body of Christ so I will move on. 

When we reexamine the parable of the Good Samaritan in this light, (of social context),  we see that we need to take a second look at what many call the greatest commandment. Let's take a minute to do that...look at Mark 12:30,31 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.' 

So now that we understand that our neighbors are not the folks next door; we need to consider that Jesus is referring or teaching that our neighbor is our hated and despised enemy! Our neighbor is the homeless drunkard on the street begging for alms. Our neighbor is Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden; (that is actually his full name)! Our neighbor is the lame leper begging for a handout. Our neighbors are the Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Muslim, Hindu, Pentecostal, Mormon, and Scientologists in town. If that didn't stir you up then I won't bother to mention the satan worshipers, opps I just mentioned them. Ok, now you may have a better understanding of how the lawyer who heard the parable of the good Samaritan felt when Jesus told him that the Samaritan was to be loved by him like his neighbor! Ouchiepoo.(New word!). 

How Do We Actually Love The Lord 

Now, let's dissect what many folks consider the greatest commandment line upon line and precept upon precept. (Isaiah 28:10). 

How do we actually love the Lord? Do we do it by attending church on Sundays? Do we love the Lord by reading His word? Do we love the Lord by sowing tithes? Of course! However, Jesus has something much more spectacular in mind for His disciples and for His friends when He tells us to 'love the Lord'. 

In Mark 12:30 the word love Jesus uses in the statement 'love the LORD' is the Greek word ???????? or agapao?, pronounced ag-ap-ah'-o. Strong's Greek Concordance reference #25. By seeking to understand what the Lord was endeavoring to relate to us about His idea, concept, or mindset of love can empower us to uncap God's love in our lives. This is the first aspect of what most folks call the greatest commandment of Jesus; understanding how God perceives and defines love. 

The word agapao? can be translated as to love much,  (in a social or moral sense): to love without measure, to be loved. Some call this 'the God kind of Love. This refers to a supernatural love or a love not born from our human or carnal senses like phileo or sensual love. Agapao? love refers to a spiritual adoration, attachment, or friendship originating from an individuals spirit and interconnected directly to Gods Spirit, or a supernatural love emanating from the heart of God or the precious Holy Spirit that resides with in each believer who is 'in Christ'. (See 1Cornthians 3:16). 

When we understand that it is God Himself who places within each of us His agapao? love we are released of the burden to 'work up' a love for God or our neighbors from our carnal senses and mind. The Spirit of God has given us the very love that we need to 'love the LORD'. It is a gift of grace.  This dynamic is not something that is taught in the church to a great extent. Most ministers preach and teach that we need to strive to experience Gods love. Pray more, fast longer, read the word more, attend Sunday services more regularly and so on. We need the revelation that we have already been freely given Gods love to be given right back to Him. I believe that we are entering into a season when Gods love will begin to flourish in His people and we will learn to uncap the springs of living waters and love of God that He has sovereignty placed within each of us. This can manifest as we seek friendship with God, and we will look at this dynamic in much more detail later in this teaching. 

Loving The Lord With All Of Your Heart 

Now let's examine loving the Lord with all of our heart! Jesus instructed us to 'Love the LORD your God with all your heart...' this is the second aspect of what most folks believe to be the greatest commandment. So what was Jesus really saying? The word that the Lord uses for heart is the Greek word kardia. Strong's Greek Concordance reference # G2588 ??????? kardia kar-dee'-ah. Kardia is a prolonged from a primary ???? kar (Latin cor, ?heart?); the heart, that is, (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle: - (+ broken-) heart (-ed). 

This word can actually refer to the organ of the human heart. I believe this refers to both our flesh,(heart) and our bodies. However, I also believe that the way that the word kardia is used in Mark 12:30 also refers to our emotions, and feelings. In other words Jesus was referring to our soul in relation to mind or thoughts, will, and emotions. We can learn to love God with every fiber of our body and soul! The meaning and concept that Jesus was seeking to reveal is much more complex than our carnal mind first registers. It is one to the deep things of God. Fortunately the Lord is about the business of revealing His hidden and deep mysteries to His friends at this time. (See Matthew 13:11, Luke 8:10). There is a lot of secret manna in this parable and I pray that we can dig it out together! 

Loving The Lord With All Of Your Soul 

Now let's examine loving the Lord with all of our your soul. Jesus instructed us to 'Love the LORD your God with all our soul...' this is the third aspect of what most folks believe to be the greatest commandment. The Greek word translated here for soul is psuche?. In Strong's Greek Concordance it is reference #G5590 ????? psuche?, and is pronounced psoo-khay'. Psuche? or soul can be defined as; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely, more concisely it refers to the immortal soul; life, mind, soul which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively and are in relation to the Greek word pneuma which speaks of a human's spirit, or spirit man. 

Pneuma is found in Strong's Greek Concordance reference G4151 ??????? or pneuma, pronounced pnyoo'-mah; and can be translated as figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, or (divine) Gods Spirit, Christ?s Spirit, or the Holy Spirit and or the Holy Ghost. This refers to the indwelling Spirit of God which is found in every regenerated person 'in Christ'. It is our spirit or spirit man, (or spirit woman if you are a female [I am being expedient to be politically correct here. Our spirits are neither male nor female, {See Mark 12:24,25.}]), and will exist in paradise for eternity with Christ Jesus in heaven. Now that is a nice thought isn't it! 

Loving The Lord With All Of Your Mind 

Now let's examine loving the Lord with all of our mind. Jesus instructed us to 'Love the LORD your God with all your mind...' this is the fourth aspect of what most folks believe to be the greatest commandment. The Greek word translated here for mind (Carnal or rational mind) is the Greek word dianoia found in Strong's Concordance reference #G1271 ???????? dianoia, pronounced dee-an'-oy-ah. 

The word used here for mind, dianoia means; deep thought, properly the faculty (mind or its disposition), by implication its exercise: - imagination, mind, understanding. Jesus was referring to our inherent ability to cogitate, think, ruminate, or ponder abstract concepts. In other words the Lord is calling us to seek to allow God's supernatural love flow out from our innermost being and continuously practice the agapao? or God kind of love in our thoughts and the mental processes of our mind and imagination. 1Peter 1:13 illustrates this principle;'Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ'. Another way to say this is that we need to seek to have the mind of Christ at all times. What Jesus is saying is that we need a 'heavenly mindset'. (Also see 1Cornthians 2:16, Colossians 3:2). 

Loving The Lord With All Of Your Strength 

Now let's examine loving the Lord with all of our strength. Jesus instructed us to 'Love the LORD your God with all your strength...' this is the fifth aspect of what most folks believe to be the greatest commandment. The Greek word translated here for strength is the Greek word ischus and is found in Strong's Greek Concordance reference #G2479; ??????? ischus and is pronounced is-khoos. Ischus is from a derivative of the word ??? and can be translated as (force; compare ??????? eschon; forcefulness (literally or figuratively): - ability, might or mightily, power, strength. Some folks use this term to mean life-force. 

I would define ischus as a divine life spark, or the very essence of our life emanating from the very breath of God Almighty. We see this concept illustrated in Genesis 2:7; And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Our strength is the very element of God that was breathed into each of us at the moment of creation or conception within our mother's womb. In every human being is an innate, tangible, natural, and instinctive life force set in motion by the Creator of the universe. It is this God given strength or life-force that supernaturally draws each of us to the Creator or heaven and earth. Our strength is the very essence of our being, and initiates everything that we 'do'. 

So looking back on the instructions that the Lord Christ Jesus gave us in what most folks believe to be the greatest commandment it could be said that there is more there than meets the eye. For many in the church we have just skimmed over the Lords commandment flippantly in the same manner that we have overlooked the importance and depth of the Lord's Prayer. (See Matthew 6 and Luke 11). There is a lot of hidden treasures in the passage of Mark 12:30,31 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.' than we may have first perceived as we have studied the Lords words in a superficial or casual fashion. (If you may be interested I will be taking a very in-depth look at the Lord's prayer in coming teachings, so keep an eye out for it! [Just a little Old Testament humor] 8^). 

What was Jesus really saying in what most folks believe is His greatest commandment? For one thing most of us have not understood the ramifications of who our neighbors really are. Another aspect and perhaps the most important point that I want to bring into the light is the fact that greatest commandment is much more complex and intricate than we might perceive at first glance. The Lord is encouraging us to Love God deeply. More deeply that we can hope to accomplish with our carnal minds. We are extremely complex creations fashioned and crafted by the very hands of God. 

The Spirit Is Pining For You 

Astonishingly the very creator of the heavens and earth longs and yearns for an intimate relationship with you. The creator of the heavens and earth is actually love sick to know you as a close and personal friend. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are pining for your time and to establish an intimate relationship, and personal friendship with you. That is really what Jesus is really saying in Mark 12:30. I believe that we could reverse the scripture and it would still be accurate. God loves you with all of His heart, with all of His Spirit, and with all of His mind, and all of His streanth. And the second, like it, is this: The Lord shall love your neighbor as yourself! I hope that did not stretch you too far. But if you think about it from this perspective suddenly the possibility of keeping the 'greatest commandment' increases greatly! The Lord wants us to succeed and equips us to do so! 

God has placed inside of everyone a supernatural love and ability to fulfill the greatest commandment. We can  love the Lord with a God given, God kind of love with every aspect and fragment of our nature. Remember that we are created in the very image of God. We are three part beings. Jesus is encouraging us to love God with all three dimensions of our being; Spirit, soul and body. We are spiritual beings who are created by a spiritual God. Remember what the Lord taught in John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." You have been created to love God with every fiber of your soul. We are created to worship him in Spirit and in Truth! 

Let me take a moment to elaborate on this last scripture because it gives us a bit more insight to God's concept of love between the Creator and His creation. The word that is used for worship in John 4:24 is the Greek word proskuneo? from Strong's Greek Concordance # G4352; ??????????, proskuneo?, pronounced pros-koo-neh'-o.proskuneo? can be translated as  (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master?s hand); to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship. We have a new puppy, Anna. She just loves to lick Kathy on the face. When Anna licks Kathy like that they are really communing, and demonstrating love for one another. In the same way that Kathy allows the puppy to lick her and demonstrate Anna's love for her master our Father in heaven enjoys and allows each of us to lick His face and hands. God relished our friendship and worship. Just like Kathy squirms and wiggles with delight when Anna 'licks' or 'worships' her, so does our heavenly Father relish the time that we invest in true worship with Him.

This concludes Part One of The Real First Commandment. Please return to Kevin's Newest Message to read Part Two.

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