Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
Many, many people outside (and even inside) the Church would say that Christianity is all about rules. And with good reason. There are the "Big Ten" (Ten Commandments), but scholars count 613 total commandments in the Old Testament. And it is really easy to focus on the commands and miss the intention of the Commander.
Jesus set the record straight on that. When asked what the greatest commandment was, what did He reply?
"'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. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)
All the Law. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet what others have. All of them are covered by this commandment.
Shortly before His death on the cross, Jesus reinforced this to His disciples:
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)
There is no doubt that Paul studied the words of Jesus for in his letter to the church in Rome he writes:
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)
Whoever loves has fulfilled the law. Love IS the fulfillment of the law.
Is your faith about keeping the rules? Or is it about the heart of the One who gave the rules?
I wager that at some point today you will have an interaction with someone that you will find difficult to love. It might be someone you don't know - a cashier, a waitress, a guy driving a big SUV like he owns the road. Or it might be someone you know very well - a co-worker, your boss, your spouse, your child, your parent. In the midst of that exchange, could you ask yourself one question: What does love require of me today?
Grace and peace and love be yours in abundance,
Bruce
Jesus, it's a simple concept, but it is so against our nature to live this command out in everyday life.
Holy Spirit, remove our selfish hearts and replace them with your own.
Help us to react in love when we are wronged.
Even down to our thoughts, Lord, renew us with your love.
God, there are some of us praying this prayer that haven't experienced the fullness of your love.
You say, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
Holy Spirit, break down walls right now and soften hearts.
Fill us all with the fullness of your 1st Corinthians 13 love.
Your love is self-sacrificing and healing.
We receive that love right now.
Let it burn into our hearts and purge them of selfishness and hatred.
In Christ, we are made new right now.
Thank you, Jesus. We love you.
No comments:
Post a Comment