HOW WE CAN LOVE GOD?

What marvelous results that would take place in the world, if all the populations of earth would simply keep the first great commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and mind, and strength. No individual can live a real peaceful, happy, and useful life, without being regenerated, and sanctified, and loving his Creator with all his heart. Even since the gospel has been given to the world, only a small proportion of men have willing to submit perfectly to the very law which conduces their highest well. And as to the masses of mankind, sinners are increasing hundreds of times faster than saints are, and all the nations that had the gospel first, such as Turkey, Egypt, Italy, and Spain, having turned away from it, are today the lowest and meanest of all nations, proving that the idea of converting the whole world in the gospel dispensation, is not Scriptural, and only a carnal dream. But if the sons of men would from the heart, keep the first great commandment, what heavenly changes would in a few weeks pass over the face of the world. All the politics of every nation on earth, as they now exist, would entirely cease. Jails, penitentiaries, court houses, police force, armies and navies, would pass away. Thousands of occupations for greed, or ambition, or sinful pleasure, would never more be pursued. The industries of men would be simple, perfectly honest, without guile, without over taxing the workers, and filled with happy labor. The educational institutions would turn the intellect away from false philosophy into the true science of creation, and open up beautiful fields of knowledge in every direction, finding God everywhere. Even though sickness and death should remain, yet so much would be done to care for the poor, and sick, and so many prevailing prayers of faith offered up to God, that trouble and sickness of all kinds would be reduced to a minimum. Only think what immense changes would take place on earth, by the world wide keeping of only one commandment of our God. This helps us to get a larger view of who God is; when one single short commandment, has enough in it to turn this almost demonized world into a veritable paradise. If it had not been that our souls have been degraded by sin, God would never have to command us to love Him. It is sin that has necessitated the giving of a law. When we are properly enlightened, the loving of God with all the heart is the sweetest joy in all creation, and if we only have enough about who God is, and what He is to us, we would be on our knees imploring Him for the privilege of loving Him all we wanted. The reason why so few people love God, is because they do not have in them by nature the kind of love to love Him with. God can only be truly loved with His own love. We must have Divine love imparted into our hearts, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, before we can truly and scripturally love God.