Make the First Truly First
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
📖 Life’s Most Important Question: Priority
C.S. Lewis emphasized in his writings, “You must put first things first.” Whatever task one faces, a wise person knows exactly what must come first. Life is no different. In the midst of countless tasks and relationships, knowing what is most important and what must be prioritized is the essence of a wise life. Especially for Christians, discerning what should be the very first priority in life is of utmost importance.
📖 The Power of Essence Amid Complexity
The scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time, created more than 600 detailed laws. Though their intention was good—to help people keep the law more faithfully—the result was confusion and difficulty. People no longer knew what was more important and what was less.
In this situation, one of them asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the greatest?” Jesus did not choose one rule among many. Instead, He revealed the essence that runs through all the laws—the core principle. Knowing essence is more important than knowing many things, and Jesus clarified the very heart of Scripture.
📖 The Core of All Law: Love
The essence of Scripture, according to Jesus, is love. From Genesis to Revelation, love is the overarching principle. Love for God and love for neighbor—these two summarize all the Law and the Prophets.
Yet Jesus also revealed a clear order of priority within these two. Loving God is “the first and greatest commandment.” Love for God must be the source and foundation of love for neighbor. God is love itself, and only when our relationship with Him is rightly aligned can we truly love others.
📖 Not with a Servant’s Heart, But a Child’s
A servant obeys out of fear of his master. If our faith is driven by obligation to keep rules or fear of punishment, we remain in the mindset of a servant. But Scripture says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Faith is not about rule-keeping but about a personal relationship of love with God.
Jesus’ ministry demonstrated this clearly. He touched and healed lepers, breaking purity laws, and healed the lame on the Sabbath, breaking Sabbath regulations. This was not lawlessness but a revelation that the spirit of the law—love—takes precedence over the letter of the law. True love for God leads us to heal, serve, and give life to others.
📖 The Strongest Idol: The Self
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This command calls us to love God with our entire being. Yet we often experience deep frustration here, because we naturally love ourselves more than God.
The strongest idol in the human heart is the self. Theologian Harvey Cox said, “We can even change gods depending on our needs.” James Smith noted, “What we long for and desire is what we worship.” Even if we say we worship God, if our deepest desires are for success, security, or satisfaction, we are in fact worshiping ourselves. The first murder in human history—Cain killing Abel—happened right after worship. This is a sobering warning of how disastrous false worship can be.
📖 Practicing Love Through True Worship
How is love for God most clearly expressed? Through worship. Weekly worship is the Christian’s identity and the foremost expression of love for God. The writer of Hebrews exhorts, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Even under threat of death, the early church gathered to worship. Sunday worship remains the most visible mark of a Christian.
Therefore, we must prepare for worship with devotion. Setting aside time, praying beforehand, even preparing clothes the day before—these small acts of devotion are sacrifices of love, placing God first in our lives.
✨ Conclusion: Love Brings True Freedom
St. Augustine once said, “Love God, and do what you will.” This does not permit indulgence. Rather, if we truly love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, then every choice and action will naturally fall within the boundaries of that love.
Every problem in faith begins when priorities are reversed. If love is set aside for something else, life loses its direction. Loving God—this is the first priority. When this is rightly established, all of life finds its proper place. With the love we have received from God, we are called to love Him again.
📖 The Word in Audio
💡 Reflection Q&A
Q1. Why is it important for Christians to know their priorities?
A1. Because in the midst of countless values and tasks, knowing what to pursue first keeps us steady and on the right path.
Q2. What was the problem with the Pharisees in Jesus’ time?
A2. They created over 600 detailed laws, losing sight of the essence of the law—love—and leaving only a shell of religion.
Q3. What did Jesus say is the summary of all the Law and the Prophets?
A3. To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Q4. Which comes first, love for God or love for neighbor?
A4. Love for God is the “first and greatest commandment.” A right relationship with God is the foundation of true neighborly love.
Q5. How is living with a servant’s heart different from living with a heart of love?
A5. A servant obeys out of fear, but in love there is no fear—only joyful obedience. Faith is not rule-keeping but a relationship of love.
Q6. What did Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath signify?
A6. That the spirit of the law—love and giving life—is more important than the law’s regulations themselves.
Q7. Why is it difficult for us to love God wholeheartedly?
A7. Because our sinful nature loves ourselves more than God, making the self our greatest idol.
Q8. What is the clearest way love for God is expressed in our lives?
A8. Through worship. Worship places God first in our lives and is the most concentrated expression of our love for Him.
Q9. What does it mean to “pay a price” for Sunday worship?
A9. It means setting aside time, preparing our hearts, and sacrificing other pleasures to give God our full devotion in worship.
Q10. What is the true meaning of “Love God, and do what you will”?
A10. A person who truly loves God has their heart aligned with Him, so every free choice naturally brings joy to God.