Love God and Love People
It is that simple! Love God and love People! But, if it is simple, why has God written a whole book?
God explains in great and much-needed detail how to love.
The first two chapters of the Bible reveal God, His creation, His majesty and goodness, and His will and plan for mankind (Genesis 1:27-31). Genesis 2:25 describes God’s plan for marriage!!!
Wow! I can just imagine the mixed emotions that the last statement may have induced in so many people! You are not alone!
Even if the thought of hanging out naked with your spouse disgusts you or being unashamed doesn’t seem remotely possible, God can and wants to give you the desires of your heart! Please keep reading!
If Genesis 2:25 excites you but you know that isn’t true for your spouse, again…God can and wants to give!!! Even more than you wish. It is His idea after all! I didn’t write it. I just get to share the good news! Hallelujah!
We Get to Continue In Jesus’ Love
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. – John 15:9 KJV
We Get to Grow Up
Ephesians 4:14-15 explains that we have some growing up to do. And that is a good thing.
Growing and continuing in Jesus’ love is what we get to do for eternity. Jesus is our first love because before we experience the love of God, we don’t know what love is. We can continue to grow in God’s love and get a new fresh revelation of the love of God every day and still have more to learn.
The Lawyer Answered, “Love God and Love People.”
First, Luke records that the lawyer’s question was meant to tempt Jesus.
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? – Luke 10:25 KJV
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? – Luke 10:26 KJV
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. – Luke 10:27 KJV
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. – Luke 10:28 KJV
Then Jesus said, “Do it!” The lawyer knows what to do. So Jesus is saying, “That’s right! Just do it and you shall live!”
Can we just stop right here and pose the question: So was this guy dead??? Not physically. But there is really more to life than being physically alive (1 Thessalonians 5:23)!!!
In the Beginning
Hallelujah! But…
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? – Luke 10:29 KJV
The lawyer wanted to justify himself. Oh how often, do we want to justify our disobedience?
This is it! Loving people is the nuts and bolts of Christianity, and we can easily get caught up in the snares of the cares of this world and walk right by our hurting neighbors.
Jesus answered the lawyer’s question, “And who is my neighbor?” with “The Good Samaritan.” He concludes the story with the question, “Who do you think chose to be his neighbor?” They each had the opportunity.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. – Luke 10:36-37 KJV
Jesus says it again, “Go and do the same!” It is that simple. Isn’t it? YES! The gospel really is that simple and so profound!!!
Just Do It!
Do what?
You have to hear the word to have faith to know what to do (Romans 10:17). We just can’t stop there! It is so easy to know in theory what to do and then get tripped up in the follow-through!
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. – James 1:22 KJV
All the Law and the Prophets Hang on Love God and Love People
Wow! This is a profound statement, but it is true! What about all the Old Testament law and prophets? God is the same yesterday today and forever! But, yet He says it:
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. – Matthew 22:40 KJV
The lawyer knew the Scriptures, and he knew this was the truth!
More Than All Whole Burnt Offerings and Sacrifices
They were living under the Old Covenant. Jesus hadn’t died and been raised yet. But this lawyer answered correctly that to love God and love people was more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices!
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: – Mark 12:32 KJV
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. – Mark 12:33 KJV
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him [any question]. – Mark 12:34 KJV
Hosea 6:6 and Matthew 12:7 both agree that God desires mercy and love for people more than anything else.
These are the two greatest commandments because to love people is to love God. And to claim to know and love God without knowing how to love people and walking it out is what the Bible calls lip service (Matthew 15:8)!
Don’t Be Deceived
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? – 1 John 4:20 KJV
People can be very difficult if not impossible to love. Thank God He is not commanding us to feel love for people. He defines the action of love throughout His entire word, especially in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT.
What Is Love?
The posts under “What Is Love” above will help you get a revelation of God’s love for you and the whole world (John 3:16-17). Only when we begin to know God and His true nature and character will the feeling of love toward all people become part of our nature and character.
Love Yourself
Above are more posts beginning with “Love Yourself” that help us understand the love of God. Loving yourself is not what the Bible refers to in 2 Timothy 3:2 as “lovers of self.” As the post explains there are at least nine verses in the Bible that tell you to love yourself. I like to compare this to putting on your oxygen mask before you even attempt to help someone else get theirs on. You cannot possibly help someone else if you are dead or unconscious. Let’s just be practical here!
Keep My Commandments
If ye love me, keep my commandments. – John 14:15 KJV
We are not keeping God’s commandments to appease a God of wrath who is angry with us. Read Ephesians to find out who you are in Christ. God is joyfully doing a great work in every believer. And, He doesn’t want anyone to perish but all to come to life in Christ (2 Peter 3:9).
So, what is the point of keeping all of His commandments? Because God loves people.
God’s wrath is not against people but against the devil. When people submit themselves to the devil and reject Jesus, they are already condemned and under wrath. The only people who are under the wrath of God are the ones who reject Jesus (John 3:36).
God is not looking over the banister of heaven just watching and waiting for an excuse to zap people!
No one experiences the wrath of the one true living God and lives to tell about it (Acts 12:23, Exodus 14:28, 30).
Keep the Commandments
Notice the following verses say “keep” the commandments and not “obey.”
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. – John 14:23 KJV
If you are interested in the difference please click on each word below to go to Blue Letter Bible for a word study.
hypakouō is the word that KJV translates as “obey” mostly. Also, it means “to obey, be obedient to, and submit to.”
tēreō is the word that KJV translates as “keep” mostly. It is also translated as “reserve, observe, watch, preserve, keeper, and hold fast.
Outline of Biblical Usage (of tēreō)
Blue Letter Bible
- to attend to carefully, take care of
- to guard
- metaphor. to keep, one in the state in which he is
- to observe
- to reserve: to undergo something
The reason this is so important to me is that we can hear God’s voice in more ways than reading the Bible alone. Reading, studying, and meditating on the written word of God is essential. It is necessary. And it is absolutely foundational. But it is the beginning! Knowing God’s written word is how we learn to discern all of the voices in our mind and the audible voices in and of the world (Hebrews 5:14).
You Can Hear God’s Voice
We sow His incorruptible seed, the written word of God into our hearts so that He can speak to us Spirit to spirit as we are in the world ministering to others (Luke 8:11, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11).
Love God and Love People
Following are more verses about loving God. Keeping His commandments concerning loving people is how we can know that we love God. God loves you, me, and the whole world. The more we hang out with Him, the more we become just like Him (1 John 4:17).
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. – John 15:10 KJV
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. – 1 John 5:2 KJV
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. – 1 John 5:3 KJV
God loves people! He respects faith!
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: … For there is no respect of persons with God. – Romans 2:6, 11 KJV
Not A Feeling
The inspiration for this post came from my studying Matthew 5-7. Those three chapters are “The Sermon on the Mount.” I kept reading these chapters and meditating on them for days if not weeks before I moved onto Luke. Then, when I got to Luke 6:37-42 and Luke 6:46-49, it hit me.
God emphasized during my morning Bible reading how important it is to keep these commands in every relationship I have. He also explained that this is how I love people! God also greatly emphasized how important it is that I focus my intentions first on my awesome husband and children. And in an instant, I saw the error of my ways and was able to immediately repent. God is so good!
Again, as we read Genesis 2:25 above, this is God’s will for marriage.
We and our spouses experience each other at our worst.
And that is also true of our children who are still at home and any other household members.
If we are not intentional about doing what Jesus teaches us in our most important relationships, then what are we doing?
And, just as important! Remember, God’s love is also translated as “charity” in the KJV. God gives and expects nothing in return from people!
God wants us to give freely as we have freely received. God also tells us that He is our rewarder (Hebrews 11:6)!
Love is not a feeling. It is an action. Walking in love is a choice. Love takes being intentional and disciplined.
The first step is getting to know Love. His name is Jesus!