Loving God Above All Else: Where Obedience Breaks Free

One of the core values of our church is loving God above all else. But what does it mean to love God this way, and how can we cultivate that devotion in our lives?

There are powerful verses that help to clarify this concept. In Mark 12:30, Jesus said that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the greatest commandment. His emphasis on full devotion to our highest allegiance stands out.

This command is rooted in an even greater love. As Jesus said in John 15:9, just as the Father has loved Him, so too has He loved us. And He invites us to “abide in” His love, to submit to it fully.

This is where true obedience breaks free. When we receive and walk in God’s love, revealed so perfectly on the cross, other, lesser loves tempt us less.

Our hearts long for love, significance, and worth. We look to others to love us as we are, protect us in our weakness, affirm our strengths, and validate our worth. Yet Jesus assures us in John 16:27 that God the Father Himself loves us and meets all of these needs. Not conditionally or half-heartedly, but with a love that chose to give up His own Son to save us.

Our hearts long for love, significance, and worth. We look to others to love us as we are, to protect our weaknesses, affirm our strengths, and validate our worth. Yet Jesus assures us that God the Father loves us and meets all these needs.

What profound love! A love so deep that He willingly sacrificed everything so that we could be with Him forecver. And Jesus, in turn, willingly obeyed to demonstrate that same love for each of us.

When we understand the measures of God’s love from creation to the incarnation to the cross, in God’s choice, God’s fatherly care, and Jesus’ selfless sacrifice for us, His commands no longer feel restrictive but protective. He is a good Father who cannot celebrate our sins. He is a loving Father who wants our eternal well-being. And as 1 John 4:19 reminds us, our ability to love others also flows from His love – for it is only in responding to His love that we learn to love at all.

May you trust and receive God’s love. May His Spirit kindle a passion to love Him in return with every part of our being. May His love transform your lives and spill over to those God has placed around you.