The divine command is to love. Love God and love others. Period. Our Lord says there are no greater commandments. All the Law and the Prophets, everything God says and God wills, is summed up in the command to love. Always. Everyone. Period.

Now, be ready, because you’re going to suffer. You’re going to be questioned. If you decide to love, you might even be mistreated or ostracized. Don’t be surprised if you lose the popularity contests when you choose to love God and love others. Love, period, as a command, as a commitment, as a way of life – that doesn’t fly with this world and all its groups.

But our God is not a group. He’s not a state or an institution or a party or a possession or a race. Hallelujah! He is the eternal Creator of heaven and earth and the loving Father of us all. And his love is everlasting. His love is open and welcoming. It’s inclusive and courageous and compassionate. And it has no fear.

Love doesn’t tear down, it builds up. It never divides, it always unites. And it doesn’t applaud leaders who promote hate and bigotry and division and violence as a way to get things accomplished. Love is humble, not arrogant. It doesn’t boast. It doesn’t repay evil for evil.

All the preaching, all the prophesying, all the giving – it’s worthless, it has no value if there’s no  love. The Bible says love is more important than faith and knowledge. Love is more important than hope and good works. Love takes precedent over our worship assemblies and our voting records. It’s more important than our budget meetings and party platforms and theological positions. Love is bigger and more important than any issue that can possibly be out there in our local paper or on the national news. And if that’s true – and we know it is! – we must be more committed to loving others than we are to any of those issues.

We have to place unconditional, God-ordained love in the primary position of our hearts and minds and in God’s Church. All our time and energy, all our passion and strength, must go toward love. Period.

Whatever you do as a child of God and a disciple of Christ must be done in love. If anybody tells you to do otherwise, if you get an email insisting that you forward something that’s not loving, if any leader or group urges you to act in any way toward anybody or other groups that’s not loving, you know that person or that group is not under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

If I don’t love, I am cutting off the very expression of God’s nature in my body and soul. To not love is to act opposite of our Lord. Love is where we find our ultimate fulfillment and realize our potential as God’s people. It’s not love, but… It’s never love, maybe… It’s not love, under certain conditions… It’s just love. Period.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luka Doncic is only 23.

Go Mavs.

Allan