Learning to Love Well

October 4, 2023

When Jesus was asked, “What’s the most important commandment?” He made it very clear what matters most in life. Jesus said, “‘Love

the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the

first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar:

‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39 TLB).

Jesus

communicated that there are two things in life that are more valuable

than anything else: The “first and greatest” is loving God. Then, the

“second most important” is loving other people. If you get those two

things right, then you’ve gotten life right.

Love God. Love others. That’s what matters most to God. 

How are you doing with that?

The Bible is very clear that God put you here on Earth to do two things: to learn to love God and to learn to love other people.

Life is not

about acquisition—how much you get. Life is not about accomplishment—how

much you do. And it’s not about achievement—how much you earn. It’s not

about all the things the world tells you it’s about.  You’re not taking

your career to heaven. You’re not taking your car or your house to

heaven. But you are taking your character. You’re taking you.

God put you on Earth for 80 to 100 years so you can learn to love.

In fact, he cares how you treat others and love them more than he

cares if you read your Bible every day. What use is Bible knowledge if

you aren’t even going to apply it and love people like Jesus says we

should?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have

love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the

gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I

have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am

nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to

hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

In other words, without love, nothing counts in the eyes of God. You

can say the right thing to someone, but without love, it doesn’t matter.

The right words said without love is… well, wrong.

Life is about learning to love well. Your relationships are also

meant to help teach you to love well. Your marriage. Your relationship

with your kids. Your family. These relationships are laboratories to

learn how to love others well.

That’s what life is all about—learning to love God with all your heart and learning to love everyone else too.

With this truth in mind, ask yourself this: In what ways am I making the most of my time here on Earth?

If life is one giant lesson in love, what do you need to stop doing

so that you have more time to practice showing love to others? How can

you partner with the Holy Spirit to help you love others well? Your

family. Your kids. Your co-workers. The lady in the drive-through. How

can you show love like Jesus this week? That's what matters to God.