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By Dean Kelly

“But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ 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.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:34-40).

To love God means to put Him first (Matthew 6:33). If we truly love God, He will be the focal point of our lives. We will subordinate our will to His. We will seek to please Him first.

To love God means to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (1 John 2:22-23). To fail to understand that Jesus is in truth the Son of God, and that He has eternally co-existed with God as part of Deity, is to fail to truly love God.

To love God means to obey Him (John 14:15). Read the 13th chapter of Hebrews and note that those who were faithful demonstrated it by obedience. If we truly love God, we will do what He says and follow Him in His will that has been given to us through the pages of the New Testament.

To love our neighbor is to put their needs before our own. It means being willing to sacrifice for others. It also means that we understand that they are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Therefore, we will treat them with respect and honest caring. To love our neighbor does not mean that we simply accept any behavior and teaching as alright. We will not hate even our enemy, and we will love those with whom we disagree. The love for our neighbor is an extension of our love for God. 

I hope that you will meet me at the cross where we can demonstrate our dedication to loving God and our neighbor.

Dean Kelly is minister at Highland Home Church of Christ.