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Love
On one occasion Jesus was asked what commandment was the most important. He replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your hear, all you soul, all your mind and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:29-31)
These are the two most important commandments because if you truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you will want to do what pleases him. In the same way, if you really love others as much as you love yourself, you will be concerned for their welfare and will treat them accordingly. Before you can effectively love God, however, you must first realize how much he loves you.
Scripture explains that God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners who had no relationship with him (Romans 5:8). The more we realize this wonderful truth, the more our love for God will grow. The Bible correctly recognizes that our love for God comes as a result of his loving us first (1 John 4:19). These Scripture passages explore dome different facets of the love we should have for God and for others.
br>(To Look up the bible passages: copy and paste the bible passage in the box labeled passage below. The best version to use is NIV.)
- God Should be the Greatest Love of Our Life. Before we can fully love one another, however, we must fully love God and understand his love for us (Matthew 22:37-38)
- Christ’s Love Sets the Standard. Our love for others should model Christ’s love for us (Ephesians 5:1-2)
- Love Surpasses All Spiritual Gifts. A Christian who understands what love truly means and shows love in his or her life is the greatest testimony to others (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
- Our Love for God Prepares Us for Service. The depth of out love for God directly affects our ability to minister to others (John 21:15-17)
- Our Love for Others Mirrors the Condition of Our Heart. The Love we have for those around us is an indication of the strength of our Christian walk. (1 John 2:9-11)
- Our Love Should Grow. The closer we grow to God, the more our love for others should increase (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)
 
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