One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall 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, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Mark 12:28-34 NRSV
When I read the story of the greatest commandment in the Gospel of Mark, I do not hear a debate. I hear an invitation. A teacher of the law asked Jesus which commandment mattered most.
Jesus answered with clarity and power:
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
There is nothing greater than these.
Across Bible translations, the wording may vary slightly—“mind” or “understanding,” “strength” or “energy.” Some emphasize passion; others emphasize intellect. But the message remains the same: love God completely, and love others well.
For many years, I wondered why something so simple felt so complicated.
I grew up reading many versions of the Bible across different Christian traditions. As a little girl, I remember watching adults debate doctrine while defending love. I would quietly ask myself: If the command is to love, why is it so hard for grown-ups to practice it?
As a teenager, I stopped trying to analyze it and simply encountered Jesus. I met Him at a Christian concert. I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, but more than that, I fell in love with Him. He became my best friend. My first love. The greatest love of my life.
I loved Him with passion, devotion, time, and energy. And then life happened—marriage, motherhood, heartbreak, divorce. Through it all, one truth became very clear:
Love is not only a feeling. Love is a choice.
There came a moment when loving God first meant protecting my life and the lives of my children. I learned that loving your neighbor does not mean tolerating abuse. It does not mean sacrificing your safety, dignity, or responsibility as a mother.
Sometimes loving someone means loving them from a distance.
We love because they are also children of God. But wisdom is part of love. Loving God with all our mind includes discernment.
As a single mother for fourteen years, and now as a social worker and behavioral science professional, I continue to be amazed by how profound Jesus’ words are. When He says love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, He is speaking to the whole human being.
With all your heart — your emotional life.
With all your soul — your eternal trust.
With all your mind — your understanding and wisdom.
With all your strength — your daily actions.
When we love God this way, something beautiful happens.
We begin to love ourselves correctly.
Have you ever seen someone look in the mirror and criticize everything about themselves? If we are created in the image of God, how can we hate ourselves? How can we claim to love the Creator and despise the temple God gave us?
Learning to love God deeply teaches us to care for God’s creation — including our own bodies, our mental health, our boundaries, and our spiritual growth.
This is one of the main foundations of our Healthy Living Relationships Life Group for Singles.
And let me clarify something important: it is not a dating site.
It is a safe place.
A safe place for singles from 18 to 100+ — young adults, divorcees, widows, widowers, adults who never married, even long-distance couples seeking guidance. Our main focus is understanding and practicing the greatest commandment.
If we truly learn to love God the way Mark describes, we begin to love ourselves in a healthy, whole way. And when that happens, loving others and caring for God’s creation becomes a natural domino effect.
I sometimes describe it like quantum mechanics — when one particle moves, others respond. When love is aligned vertically with God, it begins to ripple horizontally into every relationship.
Love God.
Love yourself as God’s creation.
Love others with wisdom and grace.
Jesus said to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Not far.
Perhaps the kingdom is closer than we think when we choose love over pride, wisdom over impulse, and grace over resentment.
A Closing Prayer
Lord God,
Teach us to love You with all our heart,
with all our soul,
with all our mind,
and with all our strength.
Heal the places where we have confused love with fear.
Restore the parts of us that have forgotten our worth.
Help us to see Your image in the mirror
and in every person we encounter.
Give us wisdom to love with healthy boundaries.
Give us courage to protect what You have entrusted to us.
And let Your love flow through us
like a living current —
transforming our homes, our relationships,
and our church community.
May we not only understand the greatest commandment. May we live it.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Susana Garcia is the grateful mother of RJ and Ella, has her masters in behavioral science, and leads our Healthy Living Relationships Life Group for Singles and our DivorceCare groups.