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.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭31‬
Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭7‬, ‭13‬
‬‬Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This teacher of the law is one of the few who humbled himself to learn from Jesus. He saw what had just happened, how the Jewish leaders were trying to entrap Jesus. But he did not take the same tact. Instead, he went a different direction and asked to be taught.

When I ask Jesus to teach me with a humble heart, he does.

All of the law and the prophets are summed up in these two commands: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. So since this is so simple, how is it that so many are listed as being on the wide road that leads to destruction and not on the narrow path that leads to life? (Matt.7:13-14)

I have found we don’t understand God’s love for us not because we lack skill or human accolades. It is because, as sinful creatures, it is hard for us to truly grasp the love of God. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬)

So my objective then is to walk into and be fully engulfed in the love of God. This love will then shine and reflect out of me to others and attract some of them to the truth.

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” (‭‭I John‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭19‬)

Lord, I want to live in love. I want to live in you. I want every interaction people have with me (sight, sound, touch, smell, sense) to be full of your love. I cast off my fears. Bring me closer to your heart and help me to exude your love out of my heart as I serve you. Help my family and friends to know this love that surpasses life!