--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we are serious about loving God, we…" description: "\"If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. And especially we must learn to love those that the world generally discards..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-ortberg-932_christian_if-we-are-serious-about-loving-god-we-mu_9864.png" --- # If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with… ![“If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. And especially we must learn to love those that the world generally discards.” quote by John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-ortberg-932_christian_if-we-are-serious-about-loving-god-we-mu_9864.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-ortberg-932_christian_if-we-are-serious-about-loving-god-we-mu_9864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-ortberg-932_christian_if-we-are-serious-about-loving-god-we-mu_9864.png) > “If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. And especially we must learn to love those that the world generally discards.” [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True love of the divine starts with embracing every human, especially those marginalized by society. **In simple terms:** Love God through loving all people, especially the outcasts. Key Takeaway Divine love is practiced by caring for the ignored. Themes Compassion Inclusivity Social justice Spirituality Empathy Mood Hopeful Compassionate Reflective Type Inspirational Moral Spiritual When to use this quote - Community outreach - Counseling the marginalized - Volunteer work - Interfaith dialogue Key Concepts Human dignity Moral responsibility Practical Applications - Social service programs - Faith-based advocacy Questions to Reflect On - How does caring for the marginalized deepen one's spiritual life? - What barriers prevent us from loving those society discards? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Loving god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-god/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“You cannot reach God until you begin to pay attention to humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-cannot-reach-god-until-you-begin-to-pay-attention-to-humans/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“You recognize God when you begin to recognize people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-recognize-god-when-you-begin-to-recognize-people/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Creating a positive future begins in human conversation. The simplest and most powerful investment any member of a community or an organisation can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/creating-a-positive-future-begins-in-human-conversation-the-simplest/) [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) > [Time passes and you begin to see, people for who they really are and not who they pretend to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlet-koop/time-passes-and-you-begin-to-see-people-for-who-they-really-are-and/) [Scarlet Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlet-koop/) > [When we live in the love of God, we begin to pay attention to people the way God pays attention to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/when-we-live-in-the-love-of-god-we-begin-to-pay-attention-to-people/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [When we say we begin with God, we begin with our idea of God, and our idea of God is not God. 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We invite You to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/oh-god-as-we-begin-this-journey-our-hearts-are-so-full-of/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [“Any work of God must begin with His own Word, or it is doomed to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stephen/any-work-of-god-must-begin-with-his-own-word-or-it-is-doomed-to-fail/) [Joseph Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stephen/) > [We have to do with God, to whom no one can look without the need of being good waking up in his heart; to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/we-have-to-do-with-god-to-whom-no-one-can-look-without-the-need-of/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“The practice of the presence of God, though we begin it at special times of prayer, is designed to spill out and over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-practice-of-the-presence-of-god-though-we-begin-it-at-special/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Give yourself and your worries to God, and begin enjoying the abundant life He has planned for you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-yourself-and-your-worries-to-god-and-begin-enjoying-the-abundant/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Ortberg > [“What do we do in the dark night? We do nothing. We wait. We remember that we are not God. We hold on. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/what-do-we-do-in-the-dark-night-we-do-nothing-we-wait-we-remember/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The greatest bloodbaths in the history of the human race were recorded in the twentieth century in countries that sought to eliminate God, worship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-greatest-bloodbaths-in-the-history-of-the-human-race-were/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [There is no way for a human being to come to God that does not involve surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/there-is-no-way-for-a-human-being-to-come-to-god-that-does-not/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Will you keep going when you don't know why? 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The miracle of Saturday is that the eternal Son of God lies dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-miracle-of-sunday-is-that-a-dead-man-lives-the-miracle-of/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“The most important thing about you,” Dallas would often say, “is not the things that you achieve; it is the person that you become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-most-important-thing-about-you-dallas-would-often-say-is-not-the/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Jesus had a universal concern for those who suffered that transcended the rules of the ancient world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/jesus-had-a-universal-concern-for-those-who-suffered-that-transcended/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [God is a God of endless opportunities to do good; the God of the open door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/god-is-a-god-of-endless-opportunities-to-do-good-the-god-of-the-open/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [One of the most painful aspects of suffering is the loneliness of it. Others may offer support or empathy, but no one can walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/one-of-the-most-painful-aspects-of-suffering-is-the-loneliness-of-it/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The Holy Spirit will lead you to be with people as Jesus would be with them if He were in your place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-holy-spirit-will-lead-you-to-be-with-people-as-jesus-would-be/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) [Explore all 325 John Ortberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## More Christian quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. 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