Love: Your First Priority

Where does love fit into your list of priorities? Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you" (JOHN 13:34 NKJV). It seems to me that Jesus was saying love is the main thing on which we should concentrate. The apostle Paul states that "faith, hope, love abide . . . but the greatest of these is love" (1 CORINTHIANS 13:13).

Love should be number one on our spiritual priority list. We should study love, pray about love, and develop the fruit of love by practicing loving others. God is love, so when we walk in His love we abide in Him.

Because we walk in God's love by receiving and expressing it, we should not deceive ourselves into thinking we can love God while we hate other people (SEE 1 JOHN 4:20). It took me about forty-five years to realize that my priorities were mixed up and that I was not making love the main thing in my life. The commitment to learn how to walk in love has been the single best decision I have ever made as a Christian.

From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer.