Jesus is Essential
Luke 10:25–28: And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
Love for people, or the lack of it, reveals the quality and effectiveness of the philosophy we hold. And from a Biblical perspective our love for people is even more revealing, because it actually indicates the authenticity and health of our relationship with God.
The two divisions of the Ten Commandments teach this explicitly. The first division, the first four commandments, all demand and enhance our love for God. The concluding six commandments, the second table of the Law, all demand that we love others. The spiritual logic is clear: you must first love God with all that is in you, and if you do, you will be able to love others as you love yourself. Love for God produces love for people 1
Walking with Jesus
Do your words test God, or do your words bless God? Do you love God fully, or do you love God conditionally? Is your relationship with God based on your terms, or on His truth? Are you known for your love for others?
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4–5
If there is not a surrendered love for God, there will be selfish love towards others.
Praying
Lord, thank You for loving me unconditionally, even when I am unlovely.
1. 1Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
