One Love Is Not Enough
One great love in your life is not enough. We need more, particularly if we are going to lead a good life. We need at least four great loves.
The First Love – God
When asked what he thought was the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.” He was quoting an ancient rule for living from the Scriptures. According to Jesus the first love of our lives is not spouse, family, home, clothes, friends, or career, it is God himself. The idea of loving God above all else certainly has profound implications.
One great love in your life is not enough. We need more, particularly if we are going to lead a good life. We need at least four great loves.
The First Love – God
When asked what he thought was the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.” He was quoting an ancient rule for living from the Scriptures. According to Jesus the first love of our lives is not spouse, family, home, clothes, friends, or career, it is God himself. The idea of loving God above all else certainly has profound implications. That idea covers it for some religious people, but Scripture presents a number of other things we need to love if we are truly going to love God.
The Second Love – God’s Word
Psalm 119 is a long Hebrew love poem, and the object of the Psalmist’s love is God’s Law or His Word. Psalm 119 leads to the hymn How I Love Your Law Oh Lord. From the very beginning of the Bible God’s Word it closely associated with God himself. By His Word he brings the creation into existence and sustains it. By his Word we know God. Through God’s Word we find direction, instruction, and even happiness. Secondly, Christians need to love God’s Word.
The Third Love – God’s People
The Gospel of John is explicit about a third great love. Jesus commands his followers to love one another (John15:12). He models this kind of love and sets standards for it. He washes feet, and he says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus does lay down his life for us, and he does call us to follow him. John and other gospel writers make it clear that his love extends to everyone. If we do not love all God’s people, we are not following Jesus.
The Fourth Love – God’s Purposes
Loving God, loving God’s Word, and loving all God’s people lead to loving God’s purposes in the world. God sent his Son because he “so loved the world.” In the same way that we care about the things people we love care about, Christians share a passion for God’s redemptive work in all his creation.
In fact, if you want to assess the balance of your life, asking how you are practicing each of these four great loves will provide you with a lot of insight. Valentine’s day is a good time to look at the great loves in your life.
In response to God’s love, grace and truth: The purpose of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord: Growing in love for God, God’s Word, God’s people of every ethnicity and culture, God’s purposes in the world.