Loving Others: The Last Six Commandments

A blueprint for happy living

“You cannot break the laws of God—you break yourself against them. Might as well try to attack Gibraltar with a popgun as to go up against the laws of God. It will not work. You jump off a skyscraper and you do not break the law of gravitation. You break your neck, but not the law of gravitation.” —Vance Havner

God has given us the blueprint for a fulfilled life through the Ten Commandments. You could call it a blueprint for happiness: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. . .but his delight is in the law of the LORD” (Psalm 1:1–2).

A love for God affects our love for others.

Why did God put the commandments in this order? God knew that when we love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind, we will better be able to “love our neighbor as ourselves.”

If we love God with all our being, a supernatural love will overflow to others—even those who are difficult to love. The deeper our love for God is, the greater our capacity to love others will be.

“When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.” —C.S. Lewis