From the holy writs, we see this intelligent lawyer of the law approached the Lord of all knowledge to put into test and to ask Jesus which and what of all the commandments in the law of God is the greatest. The Lord will always do above what we can ask or think if our request or enquiry is to glorify the heavenly father that we may increasingly know him and to serve him better than before: hence, there wasn’t a rebuke for him, neither any counter question from the Lord to bring him the answer for his question from his own mouth. First, he was told by the Lord to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with his entire mind: that his affection should be united, and not divided attention for his God to close the door of his heart to every negative attraction and sinful affection that may want to draw his heart away from the mightiest thing of his life, meaning the love of his God. The love of God is rooted in man’s credulity of God’s word, and his state of depending, trusting, believing on the infallible word of God is the estimated value of man’s capacity to trust in that word which also determines his level of commitment and sacrifice to the love of God: this is where faith comes to work by love in any man either of the Jewish or Gentile background who should claim or derive pleasure from his love for God (for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. Galatians5:6) and if any man says he love God, the same is known by him through his pure acts rooted in knowledge of God and not by any mere cheap talks of lips. You can understand this better from Abraham’s relationship love with God (a) by trusting or believing in the Word of God which instructed him to go out without knowing where he was going: but just trusted in God’s promise to lead him, and to be with him to show him a nation for his inheritance and to make him a father of many nations. Without trust in God, you can’t love him and the greater the trust, the greatest the love of God in you is (b) you can see that Abraham’s love is always on the knowledge of what God says or instructs him to do as we see him through the action of his reverential obedient at one of the mountains in the land of Moriah where he was sent to sacrifice his only begotten son Isaac to demonstrate his love for God above himself, Sarah, or Isaac his son, accounting that God will raise Isaac back from the dead because he had previously promised that in Isaac shall his descendants shall be counted. Notice that in verses 2 of Genesis 22, God emphasis to Abraham the word ‘your only son whom you loves’. It was the test of love to see what dominate or central in Abraham’s affection, devotion, trust and love: either it is would be his selfish withholding of Isaac or his reluctant to hurt Sarah’s feelings and cause her great sadness for the loss of the son of her old age: but this he overcome by leaving the house into the wilderness to sacrifice Isaac and God was moved by saying: for now I know that thou fear God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, your only son from me: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Genesis 21:12: Genesis 22:12 – 18. Note: Friends and true men of God will honour obedience for the word of God above the honour commands by God to give to tbeir wives and will not senselesslessly dishonur the covenant of God to honour their wives as Samson did. None should love whatever gift they have received above the giver of all things: and none should seek to contest or murmur against the giver whenever he ask of them to use such gift to glorify him by life or by death: for all things are for him and by him.
To say that God does not crave and yearn and long out for man’s love is a big deception because of his mindfulness of man (Psalms 8:4 – 8) as the object of his love as he expressed this before Israelis that the purpose of his revelation to them in the demonstration of his might and power to free them from the slavery of Egyptians bondage is that they should love him with all their hearts, souls and minds: and for this reason, has he written and given them the best knowledge of himself, but they were counted as irrelevant and strange things to them (I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing. They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepts them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and builds temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. Hosea 8: 12 – 14: Deuteronomy 6:1 – 5) therefore, he will punish them for their immorality to starve him of his love but chose to give the love of God to another. Note: it is spiritually immoral when our heart, affection and desire, resources and whatever we are and shall become are not invested to promote and to advance godliness, righteousness, fear and the love of God in us and in others: this is sinful and destructive adulterous acts before God.
If we have to increase in the love for God, we should know that it is attached with the growth of his knowledge. You cannot love God as you should without the sound knowledge of his word. As we grow in knowledge of who God is, his love that is shed abroad in the heart increases in proportion. We must prevent and guard against anything or whosoever that may seek to overthrow the highest seat of that love of God in our heart: though there are external pressures from those that are called gods (O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. Isaiah 26:13) for though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many) from their ignorant worshippers, but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him (1 Corinthians 8:6) to be very cautious and take heed that you love the Lord your God: for he is your life and the length of your days: he is your strength as the sun that goes out in his might.
Good, sensible and upright man will not do as Adam did in the Garden to trade the love of God for marital love. All that Adam did in the Garden was to betray the love of God for his unwillingness and failure to resist Eve and Satan’s propositions in his test of love for his God who has placed him in the Garden with all those benefits with dominion. God judged and sentenced him to hard labor to earn his daily food with sweat and condemned him to physical death because he hearkened to the voice of his wife at the expense of his love for God. Genesis 3:17. Note: maternal love, marital love, fatherly love, fraternal love, relational love and whatever love there is comes after the love of God and should not be above the love for God, but should be guarded within the bonds and scopes of his word (Psalms 139:21 – 22): this is the love of God with all your heart, mind and soul. His love should come above every other affections, desires and emotions but Adam’s affection was drawn away by the lusts presented by Eve and Satan to fall into the deception of the serpent with Eve who fall premier. The evil and rebellious behaviors of anyone in our life, church or family, neighborhood or office should not deter or influence our love for God (because iniquity should abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:12) to be caught up and sink into the same pit of darkness as they have: neither should any of their threats and unwillingness to love or help us because of our love and devotion to him should make us to disobey God as the stupid Samson who was blessed with lots of strength but lacked one of the characteristics of the wisdom from above, namely charity out of a pure heart to abide in his love alliance with God. Whosoever loves father, mother, husband, wife, son or daughter more than God is not worthy of God’s love nor of his companionship, nor of his eternal abode. Matthew 10:37 – 39.
The fullness and overflowing of God’s love in us should be expression of the love we are releasing, sharing and showing daily to others (by this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.1 John 5:2) but it should not be the give and take love we are receiving from others that we also are showing or giving back to God: but to provoke others to love him through our obedient love and devotion before him. None should be allowed to dictate the limit or the bound of our love with God who has first loved us before we know or loved him. This was the situation that transpires between Ruth the Moabite after the death of her husband with Naomi her Jewish mother in law. Her loss and adverse situation has not changed her opinion and love of God. She has come to love Adonai of Abraham, Isaac and Israel through her marital union with her late husband and she will love to the end with her life. Her love for God is of her own decision, if not, she should have abandoned loving God after the death of her husband: but Naomi, though, she was sincere in her plead unto her to go back to her father’s house, and back to the gods of her nation, but she never realize the bond and intensity of Ruth’s attachment to God’s heart in love as she bluntly refused her appellation to go back because the love which is stronger than the death of an husband has overwhelmed her and she is soak in that love of God in contest against Naomi’s persuasion or of whatever sufferings and dangers that lies ahead by her choice to follow Naomi are not strong enough to draw her heart, life and pathways away from such love of God: set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. Song of Solomon 8: 6 – 7. As far as Ruth is concerned, it is not about her late husband or the prospect of any future marriage. It is not about seeking for pleasure or convenience as suggested by Naomi. It is not about Naomi and not about herself. It is not about leaving Moab or the pleasure of going down to Bethlehem – Judah in the company of Naomi: but it is all about God and her eternal future and residence as she looks for a city which builder and maker is God: she desired a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called her God: for he has prepared for her a glorious –celestial city. Hebrews 11:13 – 16.
She has decided: her mind, heart and soul is made up to hate (considering living for God above self-​seeking, personal ways and thoughts in the gratifications and pleasures of the flesh and of the world. Luke 14:26 – 33) and to lose her life and everything she owes so dear unto her: to show, keep and continue in the love of God which she has come to learn and known to embrace with a great fondness from her late husband, that she might find her life back at the end. Hence, she decry and vehemently warned her mother-​in law against such suggestions which seems to separate her from the love of God: entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goes, I will go; and where thou lodges, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou dies, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. Ruth 1:16 – 18.
For Ruth, it is all about loving God increasingly and to move closer in fellowship with the people that are likeminded to keep her place in the assembly and gatherings of such likeminded people (Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where your honor dwells. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: in whose hands is mischief and their right hand is full of bribes. Psalms 26:8 – 10) which are thirsty and hungry after righteousness. Though Naomi had appealed to her to settle down again to raise another home or family at Moab, but her heart, priority and pursue is to seek first the kingdom of God, willing to sacrifice everything at the altar of her love for God, and to love him with all her heart, mind and soul with no string attached because the love of God is bigger in life than our present life and precious in worth and value more than any present things the world has to offer us. Note: God’s love is the greatest and the demand of it is the mightiest of the law: yet, our love should not be by condition that if God will not do this or that or because this or that has happened to us, to decline in love than that it should be sacrificial and unconditional love: who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the daylong; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35 – 39.
Ruth refused to bow to the fear of the unknown because there is no fear in love, perfect love drives out fear: whosoever fear has not being made perfect in the love of God. 1 John 4:18. Who have said love does not yield its dividend? Note: if any is rooted and grounded with a pure and single heart in the love of God without any ulterior motive; though it is the mightiest of the law: but it also carries the weightiest of the blessings for now and throughout all eternity. Who will dispute the word of God that there is no hundred-​fold reward here on earth and in the world to come for any man or woman who for love of God and truth sake has forsaken father, mother, land of his nativity, brethren and other things for the kingdom of heaven’s sake? Matthew19:29.
How generous and faithful was God to this loving and devoted precious soul who has embed her soul, mind and heart for the love of God to bless her (1) with whole four chapters in the word of God and (2) blessed her generation love testimony through the ancestral lineage of king David and of Jesus Christ our Savior to show us the power, glory and blessings of being in true love with God. Ruth 4:13 – 22.
God’s love, affection, approval and presence is more than enough for us if we have to choose between obeying him to displease or disobey man or the law of the nation which is contrary to his word that we may please him against any suggestion and appeal to betray his love for his hot displeasure – if any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let them cursed forever. 1 Corinthians 16:22. Your love for God will always prevail against odds: and his love for you will always triumph and shall not fail to rejoice over you in his love. Zephaniah 3:17.
Can’t you see for yourself how he fought to defend Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to change the word of the king that none should say any foolish things against the God of thoso men who has shown great love, devotion, affection, trust and loyalty to their God before the entire nation? Daniel 3:14 – 30.
Because the love of God is connected to our understanding of how he first loved us while we were yet sinner for Christ to die for us: it causes certain degree of reaction, devotion, commitment and loyalty in us: it is therefore the inward and conscious expression of our spiritual proximal which is shown by our unequal commitment above any other: from whom many is forgiven, the same shall love much. Luke 7:34. Note: when we do not know how much we owed, and how impossible it is to pay the debts by any monetary ransom or any other means apart from the spotless and unblemished blood of the Lamb of God: and how much it truly cost him to pay the price he never owed because we could not comprehend the eternal grave consequence of the debt we could not pay: it is such a lack of sobering thoughts that leads many to make mockery at sin (Proverbs 14:9) as a fool to shrink away from maintaining the blood –purchased relationship in faithful devotion it entails to show our worthiness of his love and to abide in such love which is better than wine (Songs of Solomon 1:2) and which surpasses every human understanding: to love with a cold heart, or to draw back from such love of God is displeasing to God and his soul shall have no pleasure in such who will hold on to love their lives as not to being able to sacrifice anything , even if it requires losing all, including their lives for him. Hebrews10:38 –39. Revelation 3:15 – 17: 12:11.
Love does not make to be ashamed, if we can hold our wife or husband publicly by the hand and to put the middle of our arm to their elbow joint in the public while walking together, why then should we be shy to speak of the love we have for him created us: and not to allow our love for each other to override or outdo our love for God? Why should we be ashamed to be identified with him before the world of ungodly men and sinners to speak and to sing of our well beloved Adonai and Savior Jesus as we seek to bring others into union and covenant love with him by showing and sharing God’s love through exemplary living for him who has loved us so much to die for us and rose again. 2 Corinthians 5: 14 – 15.
Love grows as we seek to cleanse ourselves from all the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God in gradual anticipation for total separation and detachment from any involvement in any worldly lusts of the eyes, and of the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life: not to be seen and counted as offenders (adulterer or adulteress. James 4:4) by our friendship with the world and involvements in their ungodly and unholy amusement: love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15 – 17.
The lack of stability and firmness in God’s love is because we do not love him with all the heart, soul and mind to compromise and to find our way easily out of difficulties by fulfilling our heart desire and carnal pleasures instead of us to patiently overcome the trial through the way he has prepared for us to come out of it (1Corinthians 10:13) as the result of our failure to be rooted and grounded in his word and in the faith of Christ (Mark 4:20) that we might be rooted and grounded in the love of God: blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempt he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. James 1:2 – 15.
This is the truth: every act of disobedience reveals the residue or remnant of the past enmity or hostility in our wicked minds to expose the heart and mind and soul which is not fully in love with his God, than by his mouth and tongue as hypocrites: for God says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Therefore, the complete or partial obedience and submission to his word is the determinant factor to measure the intensity and magnitude of our love for God: and hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1 John 2:3 – 5.
God expect us to show mercy to others and not giving offering sacrifices in hypocrisy and wickedness: his knowledge put into action as principle to live by is more acceptable than burnt offerings before him. Giving money is not important and acceptable to God if you won’t keep his word. Giving tithes does not cover for your sins, wayward and disobedient lifestyles before God will send you to hell. This is the hypocrisy of the Pharisees which Christ denounced because they observed outward religious ordinances and practices to pay the tithes of everything they possessed (Luke 18:12) but they omitted the most important and weightiest matter of the law which is the love of God in full and complete obedience and submission to the written word: plus the observation and practices of religious temple offerings of giving that none should be omitted at the expense of the other. Liars, deceivers, prostitutes, thieves, bribe collectors, fraudsters, oppressors of the poor and widows, and those who are denying the hirelings of their wages with other wickedness in their hearts, only to come and pay or give their monetary due for temple contributions to appease their evil and perverted consciences before God and to show men that they love him is unnecessary and an abomination to God if obedience and submission to his word as proof of true love is missing: but woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Luke 11:42.
Part 2. Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself.