Love God and Love People - this is the will of God


Love God and Love People

The greatest commandments summarize God's will for his children: love God and love people.

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

We cannot keep these commandments without inner transformation by God's Holy Spirit, because loving God requires us to be sanctified, set free by the truth of His word, and pure of heart. And loving others necessitates self-denial and supreme satisfaction in Christ alone.

The will of God in every day decisions

It is essential that we have a renewed mind, one that is shaped and governed by the Holy Spirit, that we see and assess all relevant factors with Christ's mindset, and discern what God is calling us to do in everyday decisions.  We are not to follow the ways of the world by pursuing pleasure, possessions, and status, but rather to live in a way that honors God by being pure of heart, loving others, and denying ourselves.

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2

A transformed inner self is only possible if you live a Spirit-led life in which you spontaneously overflow with appropriate responses to daily situations. Because God commands us not to be angry. Don't be arrogant. Don't be envious. Don't be worried. Don't be jealous. And none of these actions are planned. Anger, pride, covetousness, anxiety, jealousy, and envy all arise spontaneously from the heart, without conscious reflection or intention.

Be Transformed by the Holy Spirit

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." 1 John 2 : 16-17

If you are walking in the Spirit of God, His Spirit will lead you to do things that are in accordance with God's will. We make thousands of life decisions every day, so we need His spirit to shape our desires and guide us in the right direction. We need to renew our minds so that we can think as God thinks, not as the world thinks. For the world only provides a desire for physical pleasure, a desire for everything we see, and pride in our accomplishments and possessions. These are not of the Father, but of this world.


Conclusion

Allow the Holy Spirit to transform you. Love God and Love People. Selfishness is the polar opposite of love. It is the pursuit of one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.

God's spirit turns us away from our self-seeking desires to godly desires such as kindness, gentleness and love for others.

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