The Two Commands of Love
Read the Text: Matthew 22
Memorize the Text: He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.” (Matthew 22:37)
Consider the Text: Matthew 22:37-40
Love exists as an abused and misused word in our vernacular. The world defines love in a manner that allows it to exist, fade away, or disappear. Love does not mirror the love commanded by the Lord because it centers on our feeling of happiness instead of living in complete joy. In Matthew 22, Jesus provided two commands concerning love. These commands called his follower to love God with whole, total love and love others in the way one loves the self.
God expects his children to love him with ALL THEIR HEART. The heart serves as the core of one's being. It is the foundation where individuals construct their life. As the core, the heart is the motivation for what makes individuals thrive and tick. As a result, believers are called to build upon their love for Christ and to make the Lord their primary love in life.
The heart exists as the seat of one's passions. The passions in life are the people, places, and things that one loves the most. It is where the activities and conversations of life flow from and control what one longs for. As a result, the heart drives people's actions because it rests at the center of each person. Thus, each believer must assess what controls the heart to evaluate one's faithfulness and love for the Lord.
Jesus followed the call to love God with all the heart with the command to love God with ALL YOUR SOUL. The soul exists as the seat of the emotions. One way to test the soul's temperature comes through evaluating one's natural response to situations. When the totality of the soul loves God, then the inclinations of one's life exemplify a life centered on the Lord. This means that one's natural responses both in action and word mirror the person of Christ.
The sold-out soul to Jesus seeks to glorify the Lord in every aspect of life. As a result, the believer's heart must reflect the heart of God through the extension of grace and mercy. These traits rest as the foundational traits of God in the work of extending the gift of salvation to humanity and exists in the calling for believers to live together. The soul that loves God completely desires to pursue a life that loves like Jesus because the Lord controls the heart.
Jesus called believers to submit to God by loving him with ALL YOUR MIND. The mind is the hub where reason, knowledge, and wisdom exist. Therefore, believers must guard against the evil devices that prey upon the mind and attempt to sway the mind with the intent of adjusting the heart. In addition, the mind serves as the defense against the influences of the world and the flesh. Thus, believers need to test their minds to ensure the focus is on the Lord and not caught in the distraction of many things.
Jesus detailed that this command to love God exists as the primary command for the believer. Then, he continued by providing a second command centered on the love of LOVING OTHERS AS OURSELVES. Jesus' command calls believers to mirror his love for humanity. Thus, believers receive the command to love others in a sacrificial manner that seeks to see others as greater than one sees the self. The love believers have for others serves as part of the foundation for Christian unity and the motivation to reach those who desperately need the gospel.
Jesus commands his followers to love in a manner different than the world. He desires for his children to love God with every ounce of their being and to live out a love for one another that mirrors the love of Christ. Love serves as a foundation for all that a believer is and must pursue. In a world that attempts to redefine love, believers must live out true love for others to see.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
