The First Commandment of All

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30)

Good Friday is upon us all. As we commemorate what Jesus has done for us this day — the humiliation and suffering He endured, let us also reflect on the first and greatest commandment of all that is: To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

What does this statement entail? Let us understand the word ‘commandment’ – it is a law or a mandate. So, it is something we have to obey, follow, or act upon. The Lord Jesus exemplified this by coming down to earth in human flesh to obey His Father’s will (Hebrews 10:57). Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate expression of His love and obedience to His Father – giving His whole heart, soul, mind, and strength to fulfill the law (Mark 14:36, Philippians 2:1-8). Jesus knew what awaited Him but still submitted himself, even to the death on the cross. He is the perfect sacrifice, as John 1:29 says, “…John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (NIV). Many other passages in the Bible testifies that “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us” (1Corinthians 5:7). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). For this reason, we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19); therefore, we must love God with our whole being by doing His will, as our Lord Jesus Christ did.   

   – Contributed by Sis. Mitzi Agtuca