Sure, we're to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.  Probably easier than part 2: Love your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus told us that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.  That would mean that the Bible that Jesus read, the complete Old Testament, the body of Hebrew scriptures, hangs on these two commandments.  That, without love, as Paul states, we are a clanging cymbal.

What makes a difference is the love that we reveal to the lovable and unlovable alike.  We want our lives to be meaningful; when we leave this earthly realm, what we leave behind will have lasting significance.  Sometimes it might be possible to feel like Macbeth:

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more; it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.


But it doesn't have to be this way.  We are told to lay treasure up in heaven, where it can not be destroyed.  The only way we can do that is to invest in things of eternal merit.  It starts with loving our neighbor.  Even as Jesus taught: 'what you have done for the least of these, you have done for me."

Here are some guidelines to help you in reaching out and loving on your neighbor:
1.  Our love is INDIVIDUAL:  Paul teaches us in 1 Cor 12 that "there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord."  Therefore, we should not try to copy cat how other people love on their neighbor.  We have our own gifts, and as the Body of Christ, we need to operate in our gifts, and not try to be someone else.  God has already given you the talent and passion to love as He's called you to love.
2.  Love each person as if they are Christ.  As Francis Chan challenges in his book, Crazy Love, "How would your life change if you thought of each person that you come in contact with as Christ?"  This is easier said than done, but we can do ALL things through the One who gives us strength.
3.  Do everything motivated by LOVE:  Each act of kindness, mercy and love can change a life and the lives of others in response.  When we drop a pebble into the pond, we can not control the ripples.  We are in control of the pebble.  Whether we choose to drop the pebble of love is up to us.

Entire lives can change if genuine Christians are obedient to what Christ taught:  love your neighbor as yourself.  This is the gospel that we are called to live.

If we understand that God loves us sacrificially, unconditionally, and completely, isn't that how we should return that love?  Jesus tells us that we are to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds.  In response to the abundant love of the Lord, we, too, should return that love sacrificially, unconditionally, and completely.

I have been challenged by the idea of loving God completely.  When I read passages, such as Psalm 63: 1-5, I am inspired to love more - to deepen my relationship with God.  The scripture reads:
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

I confess that I don't always feel that way in my relationship with God.  Too many times the frenetic pace of this life takes over, and I am consumed by the little things that must be accomplished, rather than just resting in the presence of the Lord.  In my mind and in my heart I know that I love Him, but am I truly spending time with Him?  Do I "thirst" for Him?  The answer is not always "yes." 

When you think of being "in love," what does that bring to mind?  The desire to be with the one you love?  Unending phone conversations about nothing?  Your thoughts constantly consumed with the object of your affection?  Well, if we are in love with Jesus, should we not behave the same way?  In his Confessions, Augustine wrote, "You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness.  You were resplendent, you put to flight my blindness.  You were fragrant, and I drew my breath and now pant after you.  I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you.  You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours."  You might think he was writing a Shakespearean sonnet, but this passage is written to God.

Jesus implores us to be either hot or cold, not lukewarm.  May God ignite a fire that burns within that can not be snuffed out or slowly forgotten during the demands of the day.  As with any worthwhile relationship, spend time today in deepening the love relationship you have with God.  Rest in His presence, share your heart, and listen to His.  Fall in love again with the Lover of your soul.