You must surely know the Beatles song where the line Love love love is repeated? You don’t? Well, it is called ‘All You Need Is Love’!
All you need is love – is that true? The Bible speaks of love in two ways. Firstly:
The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
And secondly:
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Leviticus 19:18
Jesus‘ reply found in Mark 12:28-31 was a complete summary of the Ten Commandments (and the Law as a whole). Commandments one to four dealt with our relationship to God and commandments five to ten covered our relationships with one another.
So to have complete love would be to combine those two factors above. You see ‘love God’ and ‘love your neighbour’ are both mentioned. Neither is complete in itself, but taken together they epitomise the whole spirit of the Law.
An illustration
A television interviewer asking a spokesman for the Automobile Association asked “which was the most important rule of the road?”. In reply, he said, “Care and consideration for others”. These two summarise the numerous rules and regulations of the road.
Hopefully, followers of Jesus are very concerned about the first of Jesus’ chosen rules, loving God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30) and what that really means. Someone said simply ‘being; ‘lock, stock and barrel’; ‘hook, line and sinker’!
C. S. Lewis, the great Christian author, discussing what it means to love God, lists three kinds of love.
- Need love. As a child loves its mother because it needs her, we love God because we need Him.
- Appreciative love. As a musician loves music and appreciates its beauty, we love God and appreciate all He is and does.
- Gift love. As a boy gives a generous present to his girlfriend as an expression of affection, we show our love for God by giving time and energy to Him in service.
I think C.S.Lewis makes some great points, so let me ask you how do rate with those three?
Finally the apostle John in his letter in 1 John, provides important insights into the meaning of love for God.
Here is a selection:
- 1 John 2:5: You cannot truly love God unless you obey His commands (‘Keep His word’).
- 1 John 4:10: Love for God is a human response to His love for us.
- 1 John 4:20: You cannot truly love God if you hate or despise your brother or sister.
So I believe Love for God requires not so much words of allegiance as a life lived in keeping with God’s will.
Reflection
As we return to today’s title of Love Love Love, recap on the three kinds of love C.S.Lewis makes. How would you rate these in your own life in order of 1,2,3? Which do you need to work on most?
Stay safe and Blessed.