Scripture: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV)
It’s easy to think loving God is mostly about spiritual routines—reading the Bible, praying, going to church, and trying to live right. All of that matters. But Jesus makes something crystal clear: love for God can’t stay hidden in private. Real love shows up in real life, and one of the clearest ways it shows up is in how I treat people.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with everything in me. Then He immediately connected it to a second commandment that can’t be separated from the first: love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, my relationship with God isn’t only proven by what I say in prayer—it’s proven by how I live when someone is difficult, inconvenient, hurtful, or in need.
That’s why the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37) is so powerful. It exposes the difference between religious talk and real compassion. Love doesn’t just notice pain—it moves toward it. It stops. It helps. It sacrifices time and comfort. Sometimes it costs pride.
Scripture doesn’t let me ignore this truth. People are made in the image of God, and when I refuse to love people, I’m also refusing to live out the love I claim to have for God (see 1 John 4:8). That convicts me, because it’s easier to say “I love people” in a general way than it is to love the person right in front of me who tests my patience.
Jesus is the perfect example of what this kind of love looks like. He didn’t love from a distance. He didn’t look at broken people with disgust. He stepped in. He got close. He healed, forgave, and restored. He took the risk. He paid the price. He didn’t just talk about rescue—He became it.
And the cross reminds me of two things at the same time: I’m more broken than I like to admit, and I’m more loved than I can fully understand. That love changes how I’m called to treat others. If Jesus loved me like that, I can’t keep holding back love from the people around me.
Today’s question for me is simple: If I say I love God, what would it look like to prove it through love toward someone else today?
3 Takeaways
- Loving God and loving people are connected. I can’t separate them and still follow Jesus faithfully.
- Real love takes action. Compassion that never moves is not the example Jesus gave.
- The cross is my motivation. I love because Jesus loved me first—fully and sacrificially.
1 Action Step
Choose one person today and show love in a practical way: send an encouraging message, offer help, apologize if needed, or give patience where you normally give attitude.
Prayer
Lord, teach me to love You with my whole heart. Help me love people the way You love me—steadily, sincerely, and with action. Let my faith be seen through kindness and compassion today. Amen.
Josh Bridges
YOU {R} NOT ALONE YOU HAVE A VOICE! 