The serpent is cunning and its deceptions are subtle (Genesis 3:1). The attitude that you should only do the bare minimum to get into heaven reveals a selfish and obstinate heart. Jesus said to give to those who cannot repay you (Luke 14:13-14) and to go the extra mile when it comes to matters of kindness (Matthew 5:41). Jesus did not say the greatest commandment is to love God just enough to get into heaven. No, he said it is to love God with every ounce of your being – with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength (Luke 10:27). We should therefore set our attitudes on going far beyond what God requires of us, being motivated only by a desire to bring glory to God (Colossians 3:17). How or whether we are rewarded should be inconsequential.
Be careful not to be deceived. We should love wholeheartedly and withhold our love from no one, just as God loves wholeheartedly and withholds his love from no one. In this way we are called to be perfect (or complete), just as our father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:45-48). Do not be deceived into following selfish motives (James 1:16). Love because God loves and because we are created in his image (Genesis 1:27), not because we stand to gain something from it. Selfish love is not true love. True love is selfless. True love is the only way to God (John 14:6) because God is true love (1 John 4:8) and his way is, always has been, and always will be the way of true love (Malachi 3:6).
Swords to Plowshares 