Matthew 22:34-40 NKJV

34But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love is not lust. It is not selfishness. It is not all about me, and what others can do for me. It is not all about feelings and emotions. It is not conditional on whether or not others like or love me, or even if they treat me well or they don’t. If I love other people it can’t be based on them and who they are or what they do or what they say. For I must love even my enemies and those who mistreat me and who may say all manner of evil against me. I must love even if I am not loved in return, for that is how Jesus loved us.

Love must be unconditional, to love even the worst of the worst that we have ever known or come in contact with. And it means to prefer what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, faithful, honest, and obedient to God and to his commands. For us who believe in Jesus it means to prefer to live through Christ and to choose his choices and to obey them in his power. But love is not soft on sin. It does not coddle people in their sin. But it calls for repentance and obeying God.

And if we love even our enemies and those who mistreat us, we pray for them, we do good to them, and we treat them with kindness. And kindness engages speaking the truth in love to people, and not lying to people just to make them feel good. Lies are never kind! So they are not loving, either! And withholding the truth from people they need to hear, just so they will not be upset with us or reject us or speak evil against us, is not loving or kind, either. Love speaks the truth even when we are persecuted in return.

And if we love God we will obey him and his New Covenant commands. For if we do not obey him, we do not love him. And if we do not love him, we do not know him, and we are not in relationship with him. For to love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul means that we prefer him above all others, and we prefer to walk in holiness, righteousness, and in obedience to him. Sin is no longer what we practice, what we go after, but we want to live for the Lord in doing his will. We want to serve him with our lives forever.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

God’s Great Commands

Based off of Matthew 22:34-40
An Original Work / July 10, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Loving God and loving others
Are the Lord God’s great commands.
On these rest all of the others;
Live by them and you’ll not fail.
Be a witness, share the gospel,
Be a light in this dark world.
Share the love of Jesus always
To a world who has not heard.

Serving others; be like Jesus;
Wash their feet and pray with them.
Be a healer; mend their hurts and
Show them how to turn from sin.
Be a living example of
How to live for Jesus Christ,
Walking with Him in His footsteps,
Leading others to new life.

Give to God and give to others
Of yourselves in ev’ry way.
Obey your Lord, do His bidding;
Bow your knees and humbly pray.
Pray for others to know Jesus.
Tell how they can be set free
Of their sins and live for Jesus;
Walk with Him eternally.

What Does Love Look Like?
An Original Work / May 6, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love