The Greatest Commandment… 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?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our 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.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 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.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:28-34

Why did Jesus say, “You are not far from the kingdom of God”? It is because just having the knowledge of what God is looking for is not enough. The journey and the spiritual war start in the mind, as we discussed before. But you could have the knowledge of God and not have a heart for Him at all.

God uses human relationships and marriages to teach what true love is. If you have ever had a crush on someone, then you know how this feels… it is emotional. You feel your emotions rise and your pulse rate go up. You would know if your lover entered the room, even if you did not see him or her, for your senses are alert to the voice and presence of the one you love. Your mind thinks about your lover every spare moment, including times that it should be concentrating on the job at hand. You clean up and dress for your love. You look for opportunities to be in his or her presence. You look forward to your times alone. You would do anything for this person and find it no problem; providing aid would be a pleasure. Being separated brings sadness. That is your heart. It is an emotional entity. It is passion and feeling. This passion can be given to anything from the Earth below to the Heavens above, but it belongs to God.

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