Let me offer an example from a relationship here in our natural physical realm:

As many of you know, Gail and I have been married since June of 1981 (44 years this June). Have all those years been completely without growing pains or troubles between us here and there? (You know the answer to that!) It was about 35 years ago that I wrote this about our marriage: “Marriage is like a man and a woman buying a brand new but wrecked car, and over months and many years gradually and carefully restoring that car, until one day what they end up with is an old fashion classic that everybody admires.”

Let me cut to the chase for the point I what to make:

I love my wife. Our relationship is not what sociologists call a “utilitarian” relationship, meaning that she is useful to me and I to her, but no matter what she can do for me or not, I love her to the very bottom level of my heart of hearts. I am devoted to her in the bad times, in sickness, when we don’t have the really nice things we used to, and even when what we used to really enjoy together, we no longer can. And she loves me no matter I don’t make a boat-load of money like I used to, and though my physical body is beginning to break down, when I am cranky, and even though I interrupt her sleep by my tossing and turning all night long because of arthritis in my knees, wrists and shoulders.

Now here’s the chief point:

Because of my love for her being so deep and thorough and thriving daily, I have never cheated on her, I do not lie to her, serve her in every way I see that I can, and am not tempted to abandon her in our old age in any form or fashion, if even by mentally or emotionally checking-out on her while still continuing to live together (as many men do, or worse, they just leave). I love my wife deeply—but I love God more!

Now I ask you this:

Can you see how loving God deeply, thoroughly and every single day of your life can be the source of strength and willingness (that is not your own effort) to with ease fulfill all the other requirements He asks of you and me, and with joy to be able to?

By my love for God, I do not even have to wrestle with temptations to lie or steal, to covet other men’s money, to fall into sexual sins, or lust after the things of this world. I have no idols and only have worship for God, I don’t take His name in vain, I walk in obedience to His Word, and when I do blow it by a bad attitude or an occasion to become angry disproportionate to the offense—I repent. He is the lover of my soul and died to redeem me from an eternity of separation and torment equal to the degrees of what my otherwise unredeemed sinful life would deserve.

By my love for God and the training of my mind in His ways by the Word I come to have the ability to walk in consistent obedience to all He requires of me. This is how one day I will also be granted all or most of that which He wants to give me.

On the other hand:

If I do not love God to the depth that He asks of me, I won’t read His Word, I won’t talk to Him daily, and I will not grow in my love for Him, which love enables me to walk in obedience and one day receive all the eternal promises of God for those that faithfully do.

The command of God to love Him more than all others and with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is both due Him and is also for our own good. By such love we do not want to offend our holy God by things that we come to know are displeasing to Him and do not line up with His character. Above all other things that He is—God is holy! He is just and fair and merciful and He loves by a capacity that we cannot comprehend but His love is love that we can enter into as we day-after-week-after-month grow in His grace.

By our growing love for God and our neighbor also, our character begins to match His divine nature of being holy and we become fair and just and merciful and a sincere lover of others also. This-pleases-God!

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† 2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Now I have found (at least it is this way for me) that it is far easier to love God than it is many of those my neighbors (meaning anyone my life comes in contact with). Yet, I am commanded to love God and to love others, too. You might be saying to yourself, “Well, I just don’t feel that way about others—what am I to do?”

“Do I fake it ‘til I make it?” No, you don’t pretend and be a hypocrite about love but you do use one of the gifts of God given to each one of us to open the door of love toward your neighbor as we are commanded to. That gift is the key to having all things through Christ—it is the gift of faith.

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† Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

† Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

† Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

I freely admit that I can love some more easily than I can love others, which can be the result of both my own superficial judgments about them (often accurate but sometimes not) and that person’s abrasive and rough edges in how they treat me or those I do love. But nevertheless, we are called to have an overriding walk of love toward others no matter how they treat us, what they believe, or any other real or imagined reason we would not like them much based on our own feelings.

† 2 Corinthians 5:7 instruct us that “we walk by faith and not by sight.” If we love God enough, most men and women are not hard to love but some are real stinkers that require we love them by faith—at least at first. By faith, we set aside our first impressions (first 7 second opinions), and any judgments and feelings about him or her and by employing faith we are enabled to love those that by their own attitudes and representations are unloveable.

As we move in faith to love, it begins to remove our stubborn and carnal objections about their lives and we can love them in spite of how or what they are. Faith allows us to see them as Jesus sees them: a soul that needs love to break through the layers of their hardness in order that he or she might look to the Lover of their souls, find salvation, and spare them an eternal separation from God.

When we love others because we love God with all our mind and might, and our heart and soul, He perfects His love within us. And His love perfected within us is the most triumphant of victories in a world of darkness and death.

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† 1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected [made complete] in us ... 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

† Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Years ago I purchased a little placard for my wife that said this: “I love you more today than yesterday but less than tomorrow.” According to the Scriptures, our first focus is to love God more than all others but also to love others—these are the highest-ranking commands of God and for our good. It is an act of obedience and often at first a work faith by us toward others until one day, without having to engage faith to love others, we have been transformed enough that we just do.

If you have a commitment to walk in love, by reading your Bible and fellowshipping with God Who is love, you may not perceive your growing in love week after week or even month after month but year over year you will see the changes happening to yourself if you love God “a lot” and by it love to walk in all His commandments.

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† 1 John 4:16 … God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him ... 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

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~Brother Scott ... With ... The Right Word^© ... For Today~

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