Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:37-40).
Jesus didn’t say “love thy neighbor” first, He said: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is when love is alive!
Love Missing
Until you love God above all with the heart, soul and mind, you cannot love your neighbor, wife, husband, children, and parents. You cannot know what love is, if God is not first in your life!
If there is one thing missing in this world today, it is love! It is missing in the True Church, local churches, families, communities and our Nation. I believe when the love of God is in our hearts and expressed in and through our lives, it will change the world. You have to wonder just how much the professing Christian really loves God! I have been in many churches and around many professing Christians, but I haven’t seen much of the love of God expressed. Too many times it is just words!
Love begins with “born again” people of God. The world cannot love, that is why there is so much sin today. The world does not love God. Marriages do not last or experience real love without God! When we ignore God’s love, and His laws, the families, communities and local churches will fall apart, because of the lack of love!
When was the last time you expressed the love of God to another person? You can say it, but you may not mean it! “… for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Ezekiel 33:31).
Jesus said: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Rev 2:4) He was talking to the Church, not the world!
“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Matt 24:12 This includes Christians! Too many Christians have grown cold! They are more in tune with the love for the world rather than with God, therefore they cannot express His love!!! We are not to walk with the world! Sounds like… we need to repent!!!
There is so much pain, sorrow, and sickness, and lawlessness (sin) in our world, sometimes next door, in our families, and yes, in the local churches. Are we too busy being religious, that we have forgotten how to show true love? “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Heb 10:24).
Unless the Christian is growing in Jesus, the love of Jesus will not be seen or experienced. Christian, do you truly love your Christian brothers and sisters? Our love must get outside the building where we meet to study and worship. I believe when we truly worship, His love will overflow into the world and .there can be a real revival of God’s people. Love is what is missing today, both in the Christian and the world, and it can only begin with Christians. “We are called to “put on love, which is the bond of perfection’ (Col 3:14).
“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;” (1 Thess 4:9) So, are we disobeying the Holy Spirit when it comes to loving God and loving one another? Let us not forget that God knows everything about us! Jesus said: “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience…” (Rev 2:19).
So, when is love alive?
It is when love for God is first, others are second and self is last! Not me. myself and I! “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;” (1 Cor. 13; also Rom. 12:9-21; Gal 5:22-26) Love is found through repentance!
Show His love to someone today!
