Love God, Love Others: The Two Commands That Change Everything
What if your entire purpose could be summed up in two simple sentences?
In a world obsessed with complicated self-help formulas and five-year plans and finding your "why," Jesus gave us something beautifully simple:
Love God. Love others.
That's it. That's the whole thing.
But here's what I've learned: simple doesn't mean easy. These two commands have the power to completely transform your life—if you're willing to actually live them out.
What Loving God Really Means
Loving God isn't about going to church once a week or saying grace before dinner. It's about being completely sold out to Him—heart, soul, mind, and strength.
That sounds intense, I know. But here's the thing: this kind of love isn't born from obligation. It's a response.
Think about John 3:16—"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." God didn't wait for us to get our act together. He loved us first. He loved us when we were a mess. He loved us enough to sacrifice everything.
When you truly grasp the depth of God's love for you, loving Him back becomes the most natural thing in the world. It stops being a duty and becomes a desire.
Practical question: Do you love God because you're supposed to, or because you genuinely can't help but respond to how much He loves you?
The Second Command That's Just as Important
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
Jesus didn't say this was a nice suggestion or a bonus level for spiritual overachievers. He said it's the second greatest commandment—right after loving God.
And this love? It's not passive. It's not conditional. It's not limited to people who are easy to love.
It means:
Showing kindness to people who don't deserve it
Being generous when it's inconvenient
Forgiving when it feels impossible
Seeing people the way God sees them
When Love Gets Real: A Story That Stopped Me in My Tracks
Erica Kirk stood before thousands of people and did something that defied human logic: she forgave the man who assassinated her husband.
Read that again. She forgave her husband's murderer.
Not in private. Not after years of therapy (though that's valid too). In public, rooted in her faith, choosing radical love over justified hatred.
Christians and non-Christians alike were moved to tears. Why? Because they witnessed what God's love actually looks like when it takes over a human heart. They saw what it means to love others as yourself—even when "others" includes your worst enemy.
That's the power of these two commands in action.
You're Called to Be Salt and Light (But What Does That Even Mean?)
Jesus used two metaphors to describe how we're supposed to impact the world: salt and light.
Salt: The Preservative
In ancient times, salt kept meat from rotting. You are called to be that preservative in your community.
What does this look like practically?
Your workplace should be better because you work there
Your neighborhood should be improved because you live there
Your words should bring hope, encouragement, and joy
Your presence should make people think, "There's something different about them"
Light: The Guide
In darkness, even the smallest light provides direction. You don't have to be a spotlight—just a candle that refuses to go out.
Your role isn't to curse the darkness. It's to shine brighter.
Think about it: a single flame on a dark lake can guide lost boats to shore. Your smallest acts of love and kindness can provide hope and direction to people lost in darkness—whether that's despair, addiction, loneliness, or hopelessness.
This Calling Is for You (Yes, You)
Let me clear something up right now: You don't need special qualifications to love God and love others.
You don't need:
A theology degree
A perfect past
Extroverted personality
Years of Bible study
To have it all figured out
God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
Your willingness matters more than your resume. Your obedience matters more than your abilities.
But It Will Push You Outside Your Comfort Zone
Let's be honest—living out this calling requires courage.
It means:
Having conversations about faith when opportunities arise
Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings
Sharing your story even when it feels vulnerable
Loving people who are hard to love
Choosing forgiveness when you'd rather hold a grudge
And here's what you need to know about your story: It doesn't have to be dramatic to be powerful.
Maybe you weren't rescued from addiction. Maybe you didn't have a Damascus road experience. Maybe your story is simply that you were lost and then found. Broken and then healed. Bitter and then better.
That's enough. Your story is a testament to God's transformative love, and someone out there needs to hear it.
Love the Hell Out of People (Literally)
I love this phrase: "Love the hell out of people."
Not in a cheesy, bumper-sticker way. Literally. Love people so much, so consistently, so genuinely that the hell in their lives—the pain, the despair, the darkness—can't survive in the presence of that love.
This is what it means to be a church that says, "It's okay to not be okay, while you're working on being okay."
We love people right where they are. And we love them too much to leave them there.
We don't stand in judgment saying, "Get your life together, then come to church." We say, "Come as you are. Let's figure this out together. God's not finished with any of us yet."
The Stakes Are Higher Than You Think
Here's something we don't talk about enough: eternity hangs in the balance.
Every empty chair in church represents a person who needs to experience God's love. Every person you encounter in your daily life is someone Jesus died for.
That barista making your coffee? Jesus died for them.
Your difficult coworker? Jesus died for them.
The neighbor who never waves back? Jesus died for them.
When you understand this—really understand it—it changes how you see people. It changes your priorities. It changes everything.
What This Looks Like Monday Through Saturday
Okay, let's get practical. How do you actually live this out?
Love God by:
Having real conversations with Him (not just recited prayers)
Making decisions with His will in mind, not just your own
Worshiping Him not just on Sundays, but in how you live your life
Surrendering your plans and trusting His
Love Others by:
Being intentionally kind to the people most people ignore
Looking for opportunities to encourage someone every single day
Showing up for people even when it's inconvenient
Sharing your faith when the Holy Spirit opens doors
Forgiving quickly and refusing to hold grudges
Seeing people through God's eyes, not through your judgment
The Only Thing That Will Matter in the End
One day, you'll stand before God. And here's the truth: your accomplishments won't matter. Your accolades won't matter. Your Instagram followers definitely won't matter.
What will matter is this: Did you love well?
Did you love God with everything in you?
Did you love others selflessly?
That's the measuring stick. That's the final exam.
Your Next Move
So what now? How do you take these two commands from concept to reality?
Start here:
Get real with God. Stop performing and start connecting. Tell Him what's actually going on in your heart.
Look for one person today who needs to experience God's love through you. Maybe it's an encouraging text. Maybe it's buying someone's coffee. Maybe it's finally having that hard conversation.
Be willing to share your story when the opportunity comes. You don't need to force it—just be ready.
Choose love when it's difficult. That's where the transformation happens—both in you and in others.
The Life You Were Created For
When you embrace this calling—when you truly love God and love others—something shifts. You stop just existing and start actually living.
You find purpose. You find joy. You find that abundant life Jesus promised.
Not because life gets easier, but because you're finally living in alignment with why you were created.
You were made to love and be loved. It's that simple. It's that profound.
So today, right now, will you recommit to this calling? Will you choose to love God with everything you have and love others with the same fierce, selfless, transformative love that God has shown you?
The world is desperate for this kind of love. And you have the incredible privilege of being the one to show it to them.