WOW---Mark 12:29

So today I had a couple of pretty phenomenal conversations. At two different times, I met up with 2 friends of mine. A lot was said, and I enjoyed the company of these two friends. I realized something from today. MARK 12:29. This verse is by far one of the most amazing verses I have ever come across. Ironically I came across it today. Mark 12:29-31 states, "'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: Hear O Isreal, the Lord your 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.'"
I love how in my bible, and I'm sure it's in most of the NIV version bibles, that right before this verse the subtitle reads "The Greatest Commandment." Before verse 29, a teacher is asking Jesus what is the greatest commandment of them all. Jesus replies with verse 29-31. How beautiful is that?! When people talk about the 7 deadly sins, yes they are deadly and yes they will lead you completly astray from God, but the deadliest sin of all, I believe, is when one cannot expose God's love to all, when one doesn't obey the greatest commandment!

It struck me that this IS Jesus, this IS the way we should be living for God. What is more important than loving God with our all, with the entity of our lives?! What is more important than loving our neighbor as ourselves?
Let me take a step back here. If we can't love ourselves, then how are we loving God? And in essence how are we going to be able to expose God's love to the people around us if we can't expose God's love to our own hearts?

Is this great and most important commandment "our religion?" Is the greatest commandment "christianity?" Is this commandment supposed to be the entity of our lives and how we live for God? I think many are missing it. Many people are too focused on the "rules and regulations" of chrisitianity, and it's SO MUCH MORE! Mark 12:29 says this is the most important. It is SO MUCH MORE. Who gives a SHIT if someone cusses, is this really making God angry? What if we say this, yet we are fulfilling God's greatest commandment, we are fulfilling living for God, the way Jesus said it should be! Quite frankly, I don't think that Jesus would give a shit if his followers cuss, maybe if we were being negative about it. Society, the world, is who says "shit" is bad. Oh don't get me wrong, trust me, I still believe what I stated in my blog about cussing, but ultimately what really matters is God's love. I'm not too concerned with a follower of Jesus looking down on me for saying a cuss word and trying to give me advice about cussing, because the only applause I look for is God's and as long as I am fulfilling His will, loving, I know He smiles down at me! His concern is not if people say words that have been foolishly created by the world. It is the bigger picture that is looked at by Him! I believe that Jesus was trying to get across the distinct point of love. It's not about what religion you claim or what denomination you claim to be a part of. I believe this, Mark 12:29, is "the religion" that everyone is ultimately seeking and should seek! Don Miller states in Blue Like Jazz, "sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way." Don also states to "remember that God never witheld love from [us] to teach [us] a lesson." When we watch the way others love, others loving their neighbor as they are, we come to understand how love truly is; We come to understand God's love. It's as if they are showing the people around them the way. Love is important in this world and it is obvious that God doesn't withold love from us, because He wants us to realize how powerful love really is, and how much it matters. So we must not live witholding love from people, we must pour it on lavishly so that others may understand love, so that others may understand the love God has for us! What better feeling than this kind of love?!

Living for God is ultimately loving God with our all and understand that He is one, but wait, there's more!!!! The relationship with God is loving others, reaching out to others as they are! Our neighbor is the people around us! The person at the register of a store; the person ringing up your order at a coffee shop; the person you are driving next to; the person you are hanging out with; the friend who only wants to hang out when there is a party; the friend who is closest to us; the sister or brother that you have; the parents that you live with: These are all our neighbors--We must love these people passionately, just as Jesus loves us passionately. Believe it, it's truth! =D

These conversations I had today glorified God--I know this! I mean now that I completely love myself and know that my heart is right, I am able to expose this love God has for humanity to all! I am able to catch up with old friends, I am able to mend broken relationships, I am able to talk to friends who I havn't talked to in years because of bitterness I held for far too long and am able to ask for their forgiveness, I am able to have a thirty minute conversation with two employees of a coffee shop before closing time because God has made time, I am able to love my neighbor, I am able to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. This ALL exemplifies love, which is the way we live for God! This is what it's all about and I truly believe it, I believe it with a burning passion! So if you ask me now what religion or denomination I am, here is my answer: it is simply Mark 12:29, it is simply Jesus, it is simply love!

My GOD is BIG. My GOD is POWERFUL. My GOD is going to move my life in ways I never believed possible! My God can do this for all who ask and cry out to Him! As simple as this sounds, I love my God!

Live it, Mark 12:29-31!