One of my friends read a book about evangelist Bob Jones recently and he told me about a vision the evangelist had. He was standing in line at heaven’s gate. Jesus asked each person one question. “Did you learn to love?” When he got to the front of the line Jesus told him it wasn’t his time to enter yet. Then he pointed to a much longer line of people moving past them and told him that they are going to spend eternity with the god they worshiped on Earth. What a reality check that vision should be to all of us.
I have written more about love than any other topic. God’s unfailing love for us; our obedience and love for Him; and our love for others are the basis of Jesus’ message to the world and to us individually. When asked which was the greatest commandment, “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,” (Matthew 22:37-39) Later, He gave his disciples a new commandment: “Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) Loving God with everything we have and others as ourselves leaves no room for competition.
God wants us to be all in. If we are divided in our loyalty to Him, we are on the outside looking in whether we realize it or not. There is a big difference between loving someone and worshiping them as a god. Loving things leads us to put them before God. It is not money, but the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil.
The Holy Spirit teachers us to love God first and to love others as we are loved by God. We can then spend eternity with the only true God and with our brothers and our sisters in Christ.