Message:

If we could start anywhere on this journey of sacred habits, it must be here. Jesus didn’t leave room for confusion.  This is the center of it all.​ These verses emphasize that the heart of our faith is relational—first, with God, and second, with others.

 

To love God with our entire being means dedicating every part of our lives to Him: our emotions (heart), our spirit (soul), our thoughts (mind), and our actions (strength). It’s not compartmentalized faith. It’s all-consuming devotion.

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But Jesus didn’t stop there. He said the second is like the first: love your neighbor as yourself. These are not two commands, but one sacred rhythm. Because you can’t say you love God and then walk past pain. You can’t worship on Sunday and be silent in the face of injustice on Monday. You can’t believe in a Savior who washed feet and not be willing to serve the people He died for.

 

Love is not abstract. It shows up. It makes room. It listens. It forgives. It gives.

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If you say you love God, you must love people—especially the ones it’s hard to love. Because God is love, and He lives in you.

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Applicability to Our Life:​

• Priority check: Are we truly loving God with everything—our decisions, words, and energy?

• Compassion test: Do we love and serve others with the same passion as we pursue our own well-being?

• Simplify faith: In the complexity of life, these two commands can guide our choices, relationships, and purpose.

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Reflection Questions:

• What does it look like for you to love God with all of your heart today—not just part?

• Who is one person God is calling you to love tangibly this week?

• Are there ways you’ve separated loving God from loving others? Invite Him into that space.

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Prayer:

Father, I don’t want to offer You half of my heart. I want to love You with everything I have. But I know I can’t do that if I close myself off to others. Teach me to see people the way You see them. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Let my love for You spill over into every relationship, every encounter, and every act of service. Make me a living reflection of Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Poem: "The Greatest Command"

 

With all my heart, with mind and might,
I’ll love You, Lord, both day and night.
With all my soul and strength I give,
In You, O God, I choose to live.

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And as I walk this earthly place,
Help me reflect Your endless grace.
To love my neighbor as I do,
To show the world my heart is true.

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No greater call, no higher way,
Than love that shines through night and day.
So let me serve, so let me be,
A living sign that points to Thee.

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In every word, in every deed,
May love for You be all I need.
And loving others, near or far,
Reveal Your heart, just as You are.