At some point during the course of my marriage to Taffi, I realized her great interior decorating skills. At first, I thought white walls were impressive and the thought of using color on a wall was out of the question. However, as time went on, I saw for myself how great she was at putting colors, textures and fabrics together to create beautiful rooms in our home.

If you have a knack for decorating, you know that curtains are essential to enhancing any room. And without the rod to support them, they will fall. That's just how it is with the love of God. Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all is to love God. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. When you fail to follow these two commandments, you short-circuit your connection to the abundant life. Jesus came so that we could have abundant life, to the full, until it overflows (John 10:10, AMP). But if love fails to operate properly in your life, everything pertaining to your prosperity will fail as well. Your faith, prayers, healing and prosperity won't have any support unless they all hang on this law of love.

Have you ever met a Believer who knew how to pray down a mountain, but was as mean as a rattlesnake? There are a lot of Christians like that. They know the seven principles to this, and the four steps to that, but when it comes down to how they treat other people, they fall short. It doesn't matter how "spiritual" you appear to be. If you aren't walking in love, you are powerless. 

Most Believers don't understand the true meaning of love because they have only experienced human love, and not God's agapé love. Human love is the exact opposite of agapé love; it is emotional and conditional. It always wants to be pleased. You can say that you love everybody, but if someone offends you in some way by cutting you off in traffic or not letting your child participate in a school program your conditional human love will kick in.

God's love, on the other hand, is unconditional, which means it puts up with anything. It doesn't respond favorably based on what a person thinks or how he or she feels, and no one has to qualify to receive it. Agapé love is always focused on the needs of others. When the Bible says that you should love God, it is actually referring to the verb form of agapé, which is agapeo. This word is an action word meaning, "to love; to totally give yourself over to; to totally commit."

You probably feel that you are committed to a number of things in your life. For example, your friends, family and career are all important commitments. But when you truly love God, you make a decision to place Him above all of those things. It's great to have relationships and material possessions, but you should never get so tied to those things that you fail to make your relationship with God your first priority. Not only must you place Him first, but you must also allow His love to govern your thoughts and your attitude.
 

The benefits of committing your life to God are that you become empowered to bless others and are able to fulfill His will for your life. Allowing Him to be in the driver's seat of your life is a matter of trust. You have to be able to trust that He knows what's best for you and that He will provide whatever you need.  Growing up, I never thought in a million years that I would be a preacher, much less that I would pastor a mega church. My dream was to become a professional football player, but I was committed to God and I allowed my love for Him to take control and change my thinking. Before long, I was sharing my love for God with other people and experiencing more joy than I ever could have imagined.

Perhaps you've tried to pursue a particular career, but in your heart you keep feeling a need to do something else. Maybe your friends, family or teachers have often said that you should be doing something different, but you ignored them. If you don't have peace doing what you're doing right now, it may be God's way of telling you to make a change. If you are constantly struggling in your current field, it may be time to reconsider.

Love doesn't stop with loving God only. You also have to show genuine love to others. Jesus' entire ministry was focused on other people and their needs. There may be someone at your job who is just mean and difficult to be around. Through Christ, however, you have the ability to love that person and dwell with him or her in peace. Maybe you are having trouble with your spouse. When you demonstrate God's love to him or her, things will change and your relationship will improve. It may not happen overnight, but believe me, it will happen.
 

If you really love God then you must learn to love all people regardless; there's no way around it. The world is tired of hearing about our God without seeing the results of our commitment to Him. 

The Greatest Commandment gives more insight into the power of agape. Take time today to share agapé love with those in your life. When you do, you will experience life in abundance, to the full, until it overflows.

 Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

 

Scripture References: Matthew 22:34-40, 1 John 3:16-18, 1 John 4:7-8