Whom Should Christians Love?

Jesus gave a  general rule as to whom we should love when he quoted two statements from the Mosaic Law. He said:  "You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind" and, "You must love your neighbor as yourself." -Matthew 22:37-39.

From Jesus' words, it is clear that first and foremost we should love Jehovah. However, we are not born with a fully developed love of Jehovah. That is something we must cultivate. When we first heard about him, we were attracted to him by what we heard.  Little by little, we learned how he prepared the earth for mankind.  (Genesis 2:5-23) We learned how he has dealt with mankind, not casting  us off when sin first invaded the human family, but taking steps to redeem us.  (Genesis 3;1-5, 15) He dealt kindly with those who were faithful, and eventually he provided his only-begotten Son for the forgiveness of our sins.  (John 3:16, 36)  This increasing knowledge made our appreciation for Jehovah grow.  (Isaiah 25:1) King David said that  he loved Jehovah because of his loving care. (Psalm 116:1-9) Today, Jehovah cares for us, guides us, strengthens us, and encourages us.  The more we learn about him, the deeper our love becomes. -Psalm 31:23; Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 8:28. 

Next time: How Can We Show Our Love?

From the Watchtower magazine, 2001