Wholehearted: A 7-Day Standard Operating Procedure for Loving GodSample

Finally, after Jesus describes the most important commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, he tells the Pharisees, “The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

God wants us to love him with our whole being. Only from this posture are we able to love our neighbor as ourselves. God’s love for us becomes so evident we can’t help but see ourselves the way he sees us. It’s impossible to love others if we don’t love ourselves.

The command is to love your neighbor as yourself. If you don’t love yourself, you cannot love others. However, the more you pour your heart, soul, mind, and strength into loving God, his love begins to fill you up.

John describes the love God gives us in his first letter to the church. As we realize God’s deep love for us, through the sacrifice of his Son, we come to love God. John says, “We love because he (God) first loved us.” Ultimately, the more we come to know God, our love and devotion for him grows.

So who qualifies as our neighbor? When Jesus was asked this question, he responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The story tells of a man who had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. Two men, a priest and a Levite, saw the man and walked right on by. Then, a Samaritan, known to be detested by the Jews, had compassion for the man. He cared for him and ensured he was taken care of and brought back to health.

Jesus’ example describes our neighbor as the least likely person we might associate with. The man from a foreign country came and showed mercy and compassion.

In the Army, we have four Warrior Ethos to live by. The last is “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” As comrades in arms, we all come from all different walks of life. The military is one of the most diverse workplaces in the United States, making it unique. We truly represent what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves when we raise our right hand and vow never to leave a fallen comrade.