Main Thought
Everyone wants love. According to Jesus, the greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. That’s a lot of love! These two commands alone require a great deal of effort on our part. They impact our priorities and our activities. How do we muster up all this love? It all starts with experiencing God’s love for ourselves. Finding it in God’s Word, and in times of prayer and worship whether it be privately or publicly. We need to receive it; then, we can reciprocate it! We love God back. We then demonstrate God’s love to our “neighbors” (which includes anyone and everyone) by treating them with care.
Main Passages
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
- Mark 12:28-34
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us…
- 1 John 4: 15-17a
Discussion Questions
How do you typically experience God’s love? How often do you do it?
How do you typically reciprocate your love to God?
How can you begin to love the neighbors around you, or in your immediate sphere of influence?
Family Question
Did you know that God loves you? How does God show his love to you?