Jesus told people that the greatest commandment in Scripture is to love God with the whole of our being and to love others as we love ourselves.
Why does Jesus consider it so important for us to love God?
Consider the insight of M. Basil Pennington: “The fact is there is nothing that we are doing that God could not raise up a stone in the field to do for him. The realization of this puts us in our true place. Though, lest we get too knocked down by such a realization of our insignificance, let me hasten to add that there is one thing that we alone can give God…and that is our personal love. No one else can give God our personal love. This is our great significance.”
We exist on this planet not by chance, and not merely for the sake of doing a job, or raising children, or accomplishing some wonderful fete in our lives. From the abundance of God’s love within the Trinity, God brought us into life for love. We are designed in the likeness of God to love—to love God and to love one another.
The greatest joy and fulfillment of life come to us when we live into what we were designed for. When we love God and others, our hearts open up to the realms of love and joy and gratitude and connection. Yet life becomes miserable, miserly, cantankerous, shallow and dissatisfied when we reject what we were designed for, when we live void of love.
The command to love God and to love others is given to us not because God would be miserable without our love. God’s heart is fully satisfied within the abundant love within the Trinity. The command is given to us because love is what enables our souls to become fully alive and joyful.
How are we to practice loving God?
Frederick Buechner advises: “To love God means to pay attention, be mindful, be open to the possibility that God is with you in ways that, unless you have your eyes open, you may never glimpse. He speaks words that, unless you have your ears open, you may never hear. Draw near to him as best you can.”
And, as the apostle John makes clear in 1 John 4:20, we love God by loving others: “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”