Jesus Answers the Question

Thanks everybody for your answers, they were great! I purposely tried to ask the question using today's language so that it wouldn't be an automatic tip-off that I was asking the exact same question that a Pharisee asked Jesus in the Bible.  Aleya started us all off with the right answer, but the conversation continued because people rightly understood that it needed to be a little more clearly defined.  Rachel and Ariah worked to define "love" a little more clearly and Whitney and Robin both seemed to then begin working out what exactly it would look like to "Love God".  And Whitney, I think you are right that to love Him we must know Him.  Robin, I love that you brought up the point that while Loving Him is the correct answer, the acting out of that love is going to be a form of worship for us.  I think you meant worship through music, but you stated it so well when you said, "love manifests itself in worship".  I think our love for God, in it's full and complete sense, will have a very strong element of worship.  How could it not if we truly know Him as Whitney mentioned.

But Jeremy saw my question and recognized it as the same one from Matthew and Mark where the Pharisee asks Jesus what was the most important commandment.  Rachel summarized the answer in her comment, but thanks to Jeremy for bringing out Jesus' full answer.  When the Pharisee asks Jesus his question, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 for the first answer, and then summarizes whole chapters of Deuteronomy for the second part of His answer:

Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, [a teacher of the law] asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

And [Jesus] said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depends all the Law and Prophets." (Matthew 22:34-40)

I mentioned that the Pastor was talking about this passage on Sunday.  He was actually focusing on the second part of the answer that Jesus gave.  The teacher asked for a single answer, and Jesus gave him two.  Why?  Because they are so closely intertwined that they really shouldn't be separated.  The pastor began his sermon with an anecdotal story about a Mennonite man who was asked by a stranger one day if he was a Christian.  And the Mennonite's answer was, "I'm the least qualified person to answer that question.  You should go ask my neighbors." 

Now, I talked with David and Melissa about it a little, and David commented that he didn't necessarily subscribe to the whole "preach the gospel, and if necessary use words" philosophy.  I think he's right, and I think too often people use that as a "way out" of  speaking about our beliefs and our God.

But I think that Jesus made the point clear: Loving God is specific, it's all out, no-holds-barred.  It's not just with words, it's with your heart and your mind and your soul.  In Deuteronomy is says, "with all your strength".

So thanks everybody for your answers.  Keep the conversation going.