Love God

Mark 12:29-31, Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, right before he was killed, the crowds loved Him. Mark 11: 1-11, "...He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around Him were shouting, 'Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in the highest heaven!"

What does it mean to love the Lord your God? What can we tell of our love? How do we know we love God? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves. Many people are praising God. They are excited about what the future holds for them. This is a time of critical change for our Nation, but are we praising God. Is God truly the center of that praise? Romans 13: 8-14, "Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law. For the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting- and any other commandment- are all summed up in this one commandment: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God's requirements...Wake up...The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires."

You know you are loving God, by how you are living your daily life! You cannot say you love God, then turn around and join in with the majority. The road to Christ is narrow. You will not be surrounded by masses, if you are living for Him. You will stand out in the crowd, because you will not agree with the popular belief. Everything around us changes. What is popular now will not be popular tomorrow. Malachi 3:6, "I am the Lord, and I do not change." If you are constantly changing your mind; If you do not stand with Christ and His beliefs; If you do not base your decisions on Christ, first, then who are you standing with? The Lord is stable. He will not change. He has His own rules and He is the author of the rules. We must stand with God, for if we are not for Him, then we are against Him.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." If you do this you will make the right decisions in every day circumstances. You will not cause harm to any of God's children. You will do your best to walk with integrity. If you love God, you will love all people. This does not mean that we side with all of the people, people can quickly turn on you and harm you, but we love everyone. If you love, then you do not have to worry about breaking any of the other commandments. If you love, then you will do as God desires you to do, in everything that you do. Look at your life; Look at your beliefs, do you side with God? Do you love Him?