all of you. forever. every day.

The two greatest commandments that the Lord gave us are both centered around one four-letter word that the world we live in barely seems to even begin to grasp. Love. "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all you strength. The second is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 ESV)

Modern language puts such a limit on love. Just those four letters creating one word that can mean anything from having a particular fondness for Peanut Butter Cup Perfection ice cream at Coldstone to the Creator of the universe sending his one and only Son to die for the sins of all mankind. How can that one word mean both of those things?

But perhaps even more than the English language limits love, WE limit love. In our depravity, we cannot even know the meaning of this word without Christ in us and even with Him our minds and hearts limit love so much.

Love is SELFLESS. More than anything else, it is that. Love is dying to yourself in every way. Sacrifice and commitment.

And in this, we find the most fulfillment in this world that we could ever hope for because in living a life os selfless love we get the closest glimpse of God that we ever can in this life.

So--love the Lord your God with all of you. Forever. Every day. The Lord is our ultimate lover. He wants all of us. As we give ourselves to Him fully and seek his heart, the richness of love and life is most deeply felt and more utterly amazing than any words I could find in even the best thesaurus could express.

And then, as we love God--love him in the real sense of the word--loving others becomes second nature. And as we live this life of selfless love and devotion to Jesus, we have found what it is actually all about.