Matt 22:34-40

[Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart] The meaning of this is, thou shalt love him with all thy faculties or powers. Thou shalt love him supremely, more than all other beings and things, and with all the ardor possible. To love him with all the heart is to fix the affections supremely on him, more strongly than on anything else, and to be willing to give up all that we hold dear at his command.

[With all thy soul] Or, with all thy "life." This means, to be willing to give up the life to him, and to devote it all to his service; to live to him, and to be willing to die at his command.

[With all thy mind] To submit the "intellect" to his will. To love his law and gospel more than we do the decisions of our own minds. To be willing to submit all our faculties to his teaching and guidance, and to devote to him all our intellectual attainments and all the results of our intellectual efforts.

[With all thy strength]. With all the faculties of soul and body. To labor and toil for his glory, and to make that the great object of all our efforts.

Now notice what another commentary says about the second half of this admonition, to love your neighbor as self.

Matt 22:39

[Thou shalt love thy neighbour] The love of our neighbour springs from the love of God as its source; is found in the love of God as its principle, pattern, and end; and the love of God is found in the love of our neighbour, as its effect, representation, and infallible mark. This love of our neighhour is a love of equity, charity, succour, and benevolence. We owe to our neighbour what we have a right to expect from him-"Do unto all men as ye would they should do unto you," is a positive command of our blessed Saviour. By this rule, therefore, we should speak, think, and write, concerning every soul of man:-put the best construction upon all the words and actions of our neighbour that they can possibly bear. By this rule we are taught to bear with, love, and forgive him; to rejoice in his felicity, mourn in his adversity, desire and delight in his prosperity, and promote it to the utmost of our power: instruct his ignorance, help him in his weakness, and risk even our life for his sake, and for the public good. In a word, we must do everything in our power, through all the possible varieties of circumstances, for our neighbours, which we would wish them to do for us, were our situations reversed.  (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)

Lesson 14: Instructions – Love God.  Love your neighbor.
 
 Love God

1] Love God with all your faculties and powers.
2] Fix your affections supremely on Him.
3] Be willing to give up all you hold dear at His command.
4] Be willing to devote your life in service to Him.  Let this be your continuing attitude.
5] Be willing to die at His command.
6] Submit all your faculties to His teaching and guidance.
7] Labor and toil for His Glory.
8] Make God the object of all your efforts.

Love Neighbor

1] Understand that love of neighbor springs from the principle of loving God.

2] Understand that you owe to your neighbor what you have a right to expect from Him.
3] With your neighbor, invoke the following [I will use the pronoun "him" but clearly these instructions apply to everyone].
    a) bear with him
    b) love him
    c) forgive him
    d) rejoice in his felicity

    e) mourn in his adversity
    f) desire and delight in his prosperity
    g) seek and promote his prosperity.

...and as you have opportunity or should the opportunity arise:

    h) instruct his ignorance
    i) help him in his weakness
    j) risk your life for his sake

Review Luke 10:29-37 [Who is my neighbor?]; Romans 15:2 and Gal. 6:10


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