Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Love is paramount and it is all around us. It’s safe to say that our world is consumed with the word. Songs, movies, water bottles, and chewing gum all inspire us to love these days. Even more so as Christians, we say we love God and each other. All of us say that we love but do we really?
Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT):
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Wow. We are to love God with everything that we have while also loving each other as we love ourselves. Jesus also tells us that the second part of this commandment is “equally important.” It is just as important that we love each other as it is that we love God.
So how do we love God? Sure, we can tell Him that we love Him but how do we show Him that we love Him in a tangible way?
We can do this by loving each other. The commandment above is not a combination of two commandments. Loving God and loving each other aren't interchangeable. They belong together. We can’t do one without the other. We can’t love God and not love each other and we can’t love each other and not love God.
I challenge you today to love God in a louder way. Begin your day telling God that you love Him and then show Him the evidence of your love by showing the love of Christ to someone else. It’s the only way that we will change our community and point others to Him.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
