“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
(1 John 3:14)
Love is the greatest virtue and the greatest commandment. One time, Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-40 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus was saying, you can take the Ten Commandments; you can take the Pentateuch; you can take Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations; you can take it all and just write down this: love God with all your heart, love your neighbor as yourself. That’s it, that’s the whole thing summed up. Love is the greatest virtue. Love is the greatest commandment. And if love is the greatest commandment, what is the greatest sin? Not to love, because you’ve broken the greatest commandment. Not to love God and not to love your brothers and sisters.
• Why is our love for God connected to our love of others?
• How have you tried to separate these two at points in your life?
Determine to love God with everything you are; determine to love others as you love yourself.