Summary: True love begins with our love for God.

Matthew 22:37, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind is to love God with all your power. God is the supreme Being and we are to love Him supremely. Above anyone or anything else in our lives. The first three commandments of the ten commandments illustrates this point.

How successful in life we become depends upon our love for God. This is success at work, in the home, and at play. Success boils down to our ability to love and appreciate what God has done and is doing for us and our love for people in our lives.

Jesus told Peter to love Him more than he loved his vocation and material possessions, John 21:15-17.

Our affections must be placed upon things above that are of a heavenly nature and not upon things down here, 1 John 2:15-17.

All things are vain without love for God. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 tells us what a person who loves will do. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. God can be substituted for love in these verses. Jesus is love personified. He consistently practiced these things. Jesus can be substituted for love in these verses. Christians are to love so the name Christian can be substituted for love in these verses. I am a Christian and if you are a Christian, your name, like mine, can be substituted in these verses.

How can you and I know that we have this supreme love for God? If we keep God’s commandments, John 14:21-24. If we love to spend time in prayer with God and time reading His holy word, Matthew 18:20, Hebrews 1:1-2, and Hebrews 4:16. If we try everyday to please God, Matthew 6:10. If we sacrifice everyday for God, Acts 20:35. If we are motivated and "on fire" to do things for God and are concerned for God’s church and its growth and progress.

So Christian, my question to you is this, does your life and your lifestyle fit the above criteria? If not, a change needs to be made. To the unsaved, the only way to succeed in life, to be right with God, to ensure your place at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and to be assured of one day going to spend eternity in heaven, is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ and live by the criteria mentioned above.

There is only one way, one truth, and one light. One God, one Saviour, one baptism, and one truth. Accept it today and live a victoious life.