Love is a divine imperative and love requires us to do these things. They are not recommendations or suggestions, they are commandments (mitzvah = commandments or divine imperative). Mitzvah is a morally, divine imperative and obligation to do as God commanded. In Deuteronomy 6:5, God commands, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]”. In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus commands us, “and you shall love 
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.’ This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Jesus had more to say on this subject in Matthew 22:36-40, “… which is the greatest commandment in the Law? And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others]. The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.” The word love (agape) in these verses means so much more than your emotions, it entails doing things that benefit others. You must have an unselfish concern for another person and be willing to seek the best for them rather than yourself.
This is the message so many are missing in this pandemic. Surely we all want this thing to end sooner, rather than later, but we have to be considerate of those around us who are vulnerable. Let’s be intentional with our love for others and those among us who are at a higher risk to this virus and be mindful that it’s really not about you, it’s about the LOVE of God that He gave to us, so we could give it to others. God never commands us to do something we are unable to do, so LOVE, as He loved.
Here is a great article about how love should govern the hearts and minds of believers during this season. There are two points in this article which the Holy Ghost imparted to me a few weeks ago. The first point is we need to love our neighbors and not put them at risk, and the second point is not everyone has the same level of faith. Ministers should not assume their people have the same level of faith as they do. Remember, the first person who died in Tusla was a Pentecostal minister. My daughter knew his wife and kids. Let’s put agape into practice. Be blessed and stay safe.
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