The Law of Love: The Key to True Joy, Progress, and Loving Relationships for Eternity

One of my favorite books that I have recently studied closely is “The Law of Love” by Steve Young (Hall of Fame professional football quarterback and wise, devout Christian). I highly recommend that each of you read his great book. My wife and I loved Steve Young’s book so much that we ordered a copy from Amazon.com to send to each of our children and my siblings. In just a few weeks, I have studied Steve’s book three times and will study and reflect on it further. The Christ-centered principles in his book will change your life and relationships in positive ways if you read it prayerfully and thoughtfully. Below are some excellent quotes from Steve Young’s book:

“The Law of Love is to love as God loves, to seek the healing of others, without expecting anything in return.” (If we are only serving others for our own reward, then that is not true love. If we simply seek daily to connect with God and feel His love and peace, and to share His love with others, that works best for the benefit of all.)

“How would you like to sum up the whole gospel, all in one word?”… The Apostle Paul said it: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14. . . The law of love is invincible. It works on the football field, in business, in the church, in every relationship. The law of love can provide a way forward when all else has been exhausted. It can work in your life, too.”

Steve quoted this statement by Joseph B. Wirthlin: “Love is the greatest of all the commandments; all the others depend on it. It is our focus as followers of the living Christ.”

“As you seek to shift to a law of love mentality, seeking healing for another person without expecting anything in return, you will be surprised to find that healing comes to you as well.”

“The Church is a hospital. Sometimes you are the doctor and other times you are the patient, but healing is the desired outcome.”

“Ultimately, we can’t get to where we want to be by pursuing a transactional relationship with God. Even if I’m as obedient as I can be, I’m still an “unprofitable servant.” I need a Savior to make up the difference between my best efforts and what God requires. Furthermore, if I only pursue rewards, I’m not necessarily becoming more Christlike, more loving. In fact, the opposite may be happening. For example, we may see others as problems we must fix (preferably in OUR way) rather than people we must love. We may see other people as obstacles in our journey rather than loving and supportive relationships.”

“All the obedience in the world will be of no use to me without charity, that pure love of which we speak.”

Steve quoted Ezra Taft Benson, who taught, “The breadth, depth, and height of this love of God extends to every facet of life. Why did God put the first commandment (to love God) first? Because He knew that if we truly loved Him, we would want to keep all His other commandments.”

“What’s missing is the enticing, ennobling gravitational pull that the law of love extends. It gathers all goodness and truth. By contrast, the law of obedience says obey or else, with a hammer or a threat, or even a deal: if you obey, you’ll get the blessings. That transactional feeling toward God when we obey just doesn’t resonate. It’s not that we want to be disobedient; sometimes we just don’t appreciate the hammer of obedience when obedience is presented to us that way. I think people naturally resist the demand. . . . But the law of love is a pure invitation from God for something wonderful that could come into your life. When the law of love is pure and unencumbered, it draws you in like an invitation to love and appreciate all laws. It’s so beautiful because it elevates and ennobles all laws.”

“Lose your life and you will find it (see Matthew 10:39; 16:25). As I seek healing for others, I myself am healed, just as the Savior said. This also means that we don’t have to be healed first in order to heal others. In fact, we can’t heal ourselves until we heal others. That means we are all wounded healers, seeking to heal others and thus become whole ourselves.”

“That’s why the law of love is so wonderful—because it takes me away from myself. It doesn’t tell me to stop trying to be better; it simply asks me to stop thinking about myself.”

“Not only do people rebel against being forced, but that plan simply doesn’t work. I can force someone to keep the commandments, but I can’t force them to be Christlike in their heart.”

Steve quoted Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who said, “Fear rarely has the power to change our hearts and will never transform us into people who love what is right and who desire to obey Heavenly Father.”

“You cannot change what you do not love. Profound change comes neither from coercion nor from incentives. It can only come through love. This is how Christ invites us to change our hearts: not by force or bribery, but by loving invitation, by attraction.”

“What the Savior would like to know is the condition of our hearts. He would like to know how we love and minister to those under our care, how we show our love to our spouse and family, and how we lighten their daily load. And the Savior would like to know how you and I are growing closer to Him and to our Heavenly Father.”

“But the law of obedience is the schoolmaster who leads us to Christ, while the law of love compels obedience in a different way. Under the law of love, we remain obedient, but this time out of pure love for God and others, not to gain credit for ourselves.”

“We cannot truly achieve peace by selfishly pursuing it. If we do, other people may become impediments to our personal quest for peace. But if we truly desire the healing of others, then peace pours into our souls with the most amazing surge of spiritual enlightenment, knowledge, and insight.”

“There are certain people in your life right now so you can heal. . . . What heals them is their relationship with heaven. You are God’s conduit and partner in doing that. The best way I know to think about this is to bring a spirit of healing—love, kindness, understanding, peace, patience, a listening ear—into every interaction we have, in every relationship we have.”

“We cannot be forced to love. We cannot be forced to think and behave more like Christ. God never forces us to do anything. He only invites and encourages.”

Steve quoted an anonymous Christian church leader who taught, “The best and clearest indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming to Christ is the way we treat other people.”

“Almost every religious tradition I’ve been exposed to or studied has elements of the law of love. . . . There are people all over the world searching for this law of love. It’s instinctive to know that living without compromise is the highest law.”

“Because of the love I feel for my wife, I give my marriage 100%, and Barb does absolutely the same. . . . Any lasting romance must be rooted in selflessness. Honestly, my relationship with Barb keeps getting better and better. The law of love has protected our marriage in a way that has allowed us to thrive, despite everything life may throw at us.”

“As always, Christ was our perfect example when He forgave the Roman soldiers who crucified Him as He hung on the cross: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:34). He asks us to join Him as we look down from our own agony and move toward forgiveness of those who harm us.”

“Some say, ‘Ask me to love my enemy? That’s too much.’ Never mind that in the first major sermon of his ministry, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invited us to ‘love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for them who spitefully use you and persecute you.’” (Matthew 5:44)

I hope you, readers, will order Steve Young’s book (available on Amazon.com), study it prayerfully, and enjoy it as much as I do.