Jesus Himself said that loving God was the “most important commandment.” In other words, if you don’t get anything else right, this is the one thing you want to be on top of, right? So.. How are we doing with this? How well are we responding to this call of God on our lives?
Life group discussion questions are up next!
If you are the discussion leader for your group, be sure to have everyone open this page on their mobile device. Take turns reading and answering questions. Make sure the entire group has the chance to discuss, and the nobody monopolizes the conversation.
Obviously, we all have things that we obviously love. It is obvious because it shows, right? Maybe it is your favorite team. Maybe it is your pet. Maybe everyone can tell that you love The Walking Dead, or ham & pineapple pizza.
So, what is something you love, and how does it show?
In response to the Pharisee’s question, Jesus points to Deuteronomy 6:5 as the “most important commandment:”
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:5
This commandment is pretty specific, and pretty comprehensive, isn’t it? What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength?
There is a lot of ground covered here. Here are some of the things that command would seem to imply:
- our Desires – conforming our desires to those which will please and honour God
- our Affections – that we love those things that God loves
- our Purposes – that we pursue those things that God would have us pursue
- our Will – that we choose that which is good in our lives
- our Feelings – that we subject our feelings to the truth of God’s Word
- our Character – that we pursue holiness, godliness, and purity
- and lastly our Thoughts – that we meditate on the truth of God’s Word, and live everyday in the light of it.
Is this easy for us? Why or why not?
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
1 John 2:15
A Response AND a Discipline
I would suggest that loving God is both a response AND a discipline. I think Jesus would, also…
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:15 (response)
When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
John 15:10 (discipline)
What does this mean?
Can anybody really do that?
Yeah.. All that sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? The truth is, we can’t just “work up” our love for him. It has to come from somewhere.
We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
Romans 12:2
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21