How To Put God First

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment’”

Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV) 

But how?  How are we to put God first?  How are we to love God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds? 

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40 NIV). 

Did you grasp that? It said “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” 

Therefore this must mean that if we love mankind with all of our hearts and with all of our souls and with all of our strength—second only to God, we are therefore “loving God”.

 Now, if we apply this commandment in this way to our neighbours, if we love our neighbours, can we do that and at the same time lie, steal, covet, murder or commit adultery with our neighbour’s husband or wife? Of course not; that would be impossible!

 My former pastor, David Lyon, once said that you can keep most of the commandments that came via Moses while you are lying in bed asleep. 

But to keep them the way Christ put it, we have to get out of our beds and actively start loving our neighbours.

  “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8 NIV). 

Prayer

O Father, help us in our daily lives to love our neighbours as you loved us. That’s a difficult one but, with your help, not impossible.

Amen 

Study by Bill Croall