Love God. Love People.
Written by Cheryl Boyce for Impact Church, Toronto
Note To Parents:
Welcome to Impact Church Toronto’s “Fighting Words Series,” Week 5! We’re halfway through our ten-week series. We hope it’s been a fun process so far and hasn’t been an added stress. If you’ve missed a week, no worries! We wanted to share some tips on making it a part of your day without having it as another task on your list.
Set it as a reminder in your phone or electronic devices
Print it off and put it on the refrigerator
Post it in your front hall where you and your family will see it as you come and go.
Recite the scripture together over dinner.
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DEVOTIONAL
Have you ever noticed that the older you get, there’s more expected of you? As you grow, there is more to manage and consider. Everywhere you turn, there’s new advice on how to live your life, manage your relationships, what career to pick and how to be successful at it. On top of all that, there's the information on managing your money wisely and the infinite ways you can invest it. Everyone has opinions. Trying to do the right thing and live up to all of it can be so complicated.
In the book of Matthew, we find Jesus is being quizzed by some religious people who believe they are very smart. They want to see if they can trick Jesus into saying something they think is wrong by asking him complicated questions. These men had made their whole lives about complicating life and getting everyone in their community to follow their complicated rules. They wanted to know if Jesus was willing to be as complicated as they were. One of the religious law experts decided to ask Jesus what he thought would be a tricky question. He wanted to force Jesus to pick which law was the most important that Moses had given them. Jesus answered him by telling him simply that it was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind.
Then he continued by saying that the next important law that is just as important is to love your neighbour as yourself.
Jesus broke down all the rules into a checklist of only two things:
Love God
Love People
He didn’t preach about all the things we shouldn’t do. He simply said loving God and loving people are the most important commandments. He also said they were both equally important. I think he pointed out that loving God is first because it’s only in a deep, loving relationship with Him that we can have the kind of love we need to love others. I don’t know about you, but loving God seems much easier than loving other people sometimes, especially when they’re difficult or hurtful.
Who we grow up to be, who we have relationships with and how we manage our money is all-important. What’s more important, though, is if we have lived a life of love. We are designed to be in a relationship with God for us to grow. Our relationships with each other grow when we love people the way we love ourselves. Can you imagine a world where we all put loving God as our priority, and because of that love, we love people the way we want to be loved?!
Jesus took what could have been a challenging question by the religious expert and made it very simple but so powerful. The answer to how to live our lives is to live a life of love.
All this isn’t to say that life won’t have difficult moments, and there won’t be tough decisions and situations, but if we make loving God and loving people the centre of all that we do, we will live a life of purpose and fulfillment.
Some Stuff To Think About
Question 1: Have you ever thought that being a Christian was complicated?
Question 2: How does it make you feel to hear that Jesus said the most important laws to follow are to love God and love people?.
Question 3: What are some ways that you can show God that you love him this week?
Challenge: This week, take some time to talk to God and just let him know how much you love him. Make a list of all the ways he has blessed you and let him know how grateful you are, then ask him to show you someone in your life that you can show God’s love. When you come up with an idea, make sure to discuss it with your caregiver and get their permission. Be sure to let us know here at Impact Church Toronto, how you showed God’s love. We’d love to hear your stories about how your love for God is impacting your world.
PRAYER
(Here’s a prayer to pray together or on your own as you memorize your “Fighting Words” this week.)
Dear Heavenly Father,
We want to let you know how much we love you. Lord, help us to grow into a deeper relationship with you. Forgive me for the times that I leave you out of my life. Help me to remember to include you in my decisions and my relationships. Thank you so much for all the ways you have blessed us and kept us. We pray that you would point out people in our lives that we can show your love. God, we pray that our family, friends, and co-workers would all come to know your love.
In the name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen!