Reserve question D. What does Jesus mean when He says: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”? This passage can be found in part or in whole in the Gospels at Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27.
Actually, Jesus means just what He said. Compare to answers at B & E. Our love for God must be as a child’s love for a Loving Father. It must also mean that we love ourselves less, that is, we step down from our self-made thrones to never re-occupy them. An example: would you seek treatment for a serious disease from a doctor whose heart is no longer engaged with healing? Would a marriage be happy if one of the spouse's heart feelings are for someone else who is not the spouse, and who would reaffirm his or her divided heart daily? Jesus states at Matthew 6:24, that a divided heart is not acceptable to God, saying "You cannot serve God and mammon/wealth at the same time. You will love the one and hate the other." Thus, our whole self, our whole heart, our whole minds must be primarily focused on God; dividing our affections with God and satan's world will not work; you cannot have one foot in and one foot out. Part of the perspective of satan's world is making a job, a career, a hobby, a source of pleasure, a chiild or spouse, a famous person the most important thing in our life; to elevate that person or thing to an idol, giving it prime attention over things of God.
We are to grow continuously in love with the Lord; one of the best ways is meditating on His Word and communing with Him in prayer informed by scripture. Our actions towards others must reflect love of God. Jesus said we – the Church – would be known for the love we have for one another. That agape love and philia affection are to be the highlights of the Church.
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