What Matters Most to God?
(Love and Stewardship)
Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT): 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.’
Luke 12:48 (NLT): “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return.”
Matthew 25:21 (NLT): “Well done, my good and faithful servant…”
1) Loving Him and Loving Others
One of the most important truths in the Christian life is realizing how good God is, how we have no goodness on our own (for more on that, see the operating system teaching), and how every good thing we have comes from Him. When we understand that, pride loses its power. We stop trying to impress God or others with our performance, because we finally see that anything good in us is really His work, not ours.
This is why Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Each part matters:
Heart — your desires, affections, motives. Loving God with your heart means wanting Him more than anything else.
Soul — your identity, your will, your inner life. Loving God with your soul means choosing Him, trusting Him, and anchoring your whole life in Him.
Mind — your thoughts, beliefs, and perspective. Loving God with your mind means letting His truth shape how you think, decide, and see the world.
When we love God this way, we naturally begin to live the life He wants for us: a life of prayer, obedience, learning from our mistakes, avoiding sin, and using what He’s given us with wisdom and gratitude. That’s what stewardship is all about.
2) Good Stewardship
Jesus explained stewardship in the parable of the talents. The servant who turned 2 into 4 heard the same exact words as the one who turned 5 into 10: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
That shows us something huge: God doesn’t compare us to each other. He looks at what we do with what we were given.
This truth destroys both pride and insecurity. A housewife raising her kids with love and faithfulness may hear the same “well done” as a world‑famous preacher. God measures faithfulness, not flashiness.
And remember that Jesus also said, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” God isn’t impressed by big gifts or big ministries—He’s looking at the heart, the love, and the stewardship behind them.
So when we realize:
God is the source of all goodness,
we have nothing to boast about,
and everything we have is a gift to steward…
…it becomes much easier to love Him with our heart, soul, and mind. It becomes easier to love others the way He asks us to. And it becomes easier to walk in humility, gratitude, and purpose.
In the end, what matters most to God is simple:
Are we loving Him? Are we loving others? And are we being faithful with what He placed in our hands?
