Of all of the characteristics of God that we read about in Scripture, perhaps the most notable is love. Indeed, 1st John 4:8 says, “God is love.” Because God Himself is love, everything He does is born out of His great love. What's more, His followers are called to love Him and others. Before we can demonstrate His love to others, we have to love Him with everything in us because He is the one who gives us the capacity to love.
Jesus taught that loving God more than anything in this world is the greatest thing His followers can do in Luke 10. In this passage of Scripture, an "expert in religious law" asked Jesus a poignant question: "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" (verse 25). In response, Jesus turned the question back to him and asked, "What does the law of Moses say?" (verse 26). The man answered Jesus' question and said, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'" (verse 27). At this answer, Jesus confirmed this man was correct; God calls His people to love Him and their neighbors (verse 28). Today our focus will be on the first part of this command from Scripture, to love God with everything in us. Naturally, this command comes first. After all, God is the one who gives us the ability to love. John says it this way in 1st John 4, "God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect” (verses 16 and 17). When we love God, His love fills our hearts and minds in such a way that our love grows deeper and deeper. His love compels us to love. That is why John continued writing several verses later, “We love each other because He first loved us” (verse 19). Because God loved us first and instilled us with His love, we can then love others. It all begins with first loving God with everything in us.
The question we have to ask ourselves today is, “Do we truly love God with everything in us?” Is God's love so deeply rooted in our hearts and minds that nothing is more precious to us than Him? Is there anything in our lives that we love and value more than Him? May we be people who love God with everything in us so that nothing is more precious to us than Him. After all, He loves us so very much.
You are deeply loved by God, my friend. The question is, do you love Him in return? Is there anything that's been keeping you from loving God with everything in you? What has been holding you back from loving God more than anything else in this world? Confess any of these things that have held you back from loving God fully. Ask Him to help you let go of these things so that you can love Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.
1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
