The first commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul and strength, and when we approach the end of our journey to Him, we will be able to love Him so with all. But until we approach the finish, we can practice loving our neighbor as ourselves. Thus we can fulfill the law as we walk toward Him, to the benefit and joy of our own souls; but also to the benefit of others and even to the freeing of the Christ in others. Our good ways are seen and appreciated by Christ in them. Even smiles to others are smiles to the Christ within them. What we do for others, we do for Christ.

‘For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?' ... And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Mat 25:35-37, 40

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Rom. 13:8-10 But until you are filled with love, by dying to self, you cannot completely love your neighbor as yourself, nor can you fulfill the law, yet.

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; love never fails. 1Cor.13:4-7