Love

 Love is the greatest commandment. God is love. Love is greater than faith and hope. Love never fails. These are all things the Bible says about love. It's important to know that love doesn't always do what is popular or favored but love always does what's best. Love doesn't tickle ears and pluck heartstrings, love fights tough battles and isn't always welcomed. Telling people what they want to hear isn't love because you don't really care about them, you only care about their opinion of you. I think it's important to understand this before we dive into what it means to love God, others and yourself.
 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. (Mark 12:28-34 NIV)
 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." That's the greatest commandment. The number one reason we should be living life is to bring glory to God. In everything, in our workplace, in our schools, in our homes, we should be showcasing our love for God.
 Loving God is important. How can we love other imperfect people if we can't love a perfect God. I think that's why this is the greatest commandment. We have to have a deep, personal, loving relationship with God before we can really understand what love is.
 The second greatest commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself". Loving others is important but it's not easy either. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul give a perfect description of what love is. The hardest part of living out that list is the fact that all those characteristics are unconditional. Love is ALWAYS kind, love is ALWAYS patient, love ALWAYS perseveres etc.
 I'll be the first to admit that I love people conditionally. There are coworkers, customers, and other people that I 'love' because they are nice to me. There are other people who I'm not so quick to love because it doesn't help me out in the end.
 Jesus loved the people everyone else hated. Jesus loved them unconditionally and he loved them without asking anything in return. Jesus loved tax collectors but never asked for money, he loved prostitutes but never asked for sex, he loved servants only to serve them in return. I think that shows us a perfect picture of loving others in action.
 God so loved the world that He gave, and didn't condemn. That's how our love for others should be. We need to love without condemnation. Condemning others as Christians makes God's love seem exclusive, and it isn't. It is freely given.
 Next, we need to learn to love ourselves unconditionally. The world tells us to love ourselves when we are successful. We think that because we didn't get that job or because we didn't get approved for that loan, or that a marriage didn't work out that we are failures and that we are unworthy of being loved. I failed the same English composition class in college three times and one of my hobbies is writing. I understand it's easier to fall into the lie that we have no value because we have no net worth, we have no value because we are unsuccessful, we are worthless because we are failures.
 The truth is that Jesus saw enough value in each and every one of us that he was WILLING to die a brutal death so that we could have eternal fellowship with him. He conquered sin and death, not for his own sake, but for ours. He took all of the responsibility and put it on himself because, apparently, we have value. Jesus bought us with a price, not a bargain-basement-clearance-special-offer price, but a full price that cost him his own life.

You guys are awesome,

- Jdwayt