Thought For Today: “Love’s Imperative”

The Greatest Commandment given is for us to love the Lord God with the whole of our being, that is, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the way we are to go about fulfilling God’s Great Commandment is by loving others, as we would like to be loved.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

In other words, we show the first by how we live out the second, that is, we show God how much we love Him by loving others as we want to be loved.

This is God’s love imperative.

The Apostle John says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God…And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (1 John 4:7, 21)

If we say we love God but do not love our fellow man, but rather act harshly and hateful toward others, then the love of God does not reside or abide within us, and for that matter neither may the Lord.