Love Is What Matters
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
Here, Jesus identifies these commandments as the first and greatest and the second is like it. That is because every other commandment or teaching in the Bible is basically an application of these two commands. All we do is to go through the filter of loving God and one another.
HOW DO WE LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF OUR HEART?
Biblically, the heart is the center of our life. The test of love is what we choose to live for and die for. Love is an action not an emotion. Love is a decision of the will. Basically, the idea of these two greatest commandments is that we are to have a wholehearted love for God in every aspect of daily life which shows in our relationships with others.
Love God with an exclusive love.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
If we want to love God, we must love Him above all else. No other gods can have our attention.
Love God with an obedient love.
“Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them.” John 14:21 (NIV)
When we obey God we show that we trust He is telling us the truth. And that we believe He loves us and wants the best for us. To obey God is to honor Him, something we do for the ones we love. Obedience shows our faith and shows we have confidence in Him. When we obey, we offer to God the only thing we can do in return for His great grace and mercy He has given to us. When we love, it is not difficult to obey and honor.
Love God with love that perseveres. One of the greatest examples of love is commitment. When a couple that is married for 50, 60, or even 70 years despite the trials of life, we see a great illustration of love that perseveres!
HOW DO WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR WITH ALL OUR HEART?
When Jesus was asked about what is the greatest commandment in the law, He replied with two Old Testament passages. Loving God with all our heart is from Deuteronomy 6:5, and the second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, is part of a passage from Leviticus 19. The verses in Leviticus give us a direction for how to love our neighbor.
The verses in Leviticus 19 talk about helping our neighbor, caring for the needy and being vulnerable, telling the truth, and guarding against bitterness. These verses describe an active love, not just warm feelings. These actions toward our neighbor are practical, sacrificial, and selfless. Love includes our work and our words. Our neighbors are the people in our world - geographical neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family.
WALKING AWAY FROM AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE IS WALKING AWAY FROM A GIFT FROM GOD.
There was a man who had no interest in spiritual matters that lived next door to a Christian. Their relationship was casual - they talked when they both were in the front yard, borrowed tools from each other, etc. Then the non-Christian’s wife was diagnosed with cancer and she passed away three months later. Later, he described his journey:
“I was in total despair. I went through the funeral preparations and the service like I was in a trance. I went for long walks but I didn’t walk alone. My neighbor, afraid for me, I guess--walked with me all night. He didn’t speak; he just followed me. When the sun finally came up over the river, he came over to me and said, “Let’s go get some breakfast.” I go to church now. My neighbor’s church. A religion that can produce the kind of caring and love my neighbor showed me is something I want to find out more about. I want to love and be loved like that for the rest of my life.”