“One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ ‘And He said 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 great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:35-40.
Love is the foundation of our Christian life. First, we are called to love God with all we are. Mark put it this way,
“AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” Mark 12:30.
Notice the difference between what Mark wrote as opposed to what Matthew wrote. Mark added the idea ‘with all your strength’, an idea written in the Old Testament by Moses.
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God; the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.“ Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
We are to love God above anyone and anything else, for this is the greatest commandment He has given us. He must become the center of our lives, and it is important that we look inside to determine what is at our center. If it is not God, then we have a serious adjustment to make.
Now, the second commandment is similar to the first and is the focus of this post. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. This also was first written by Moses in the Old Testament.
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18.
The answer given here by Jesus was to a question posed by a Jewish scribe regarding which commandment is the most important of all. He then adds the commandment about loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. We know the scribe was looking for a specific commandment within the law. However, what Jesus did was encapsulate the entire law in these two commands.
“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:40.
What Jesus did here was to essentially say the Law is not something you obey as a set of rules, but as a display of love, both to God and our fellow man. It is important to understand man is not saved by means of a set of rules, for there is nothing we can do to be perfect. It is only by believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and give our heart and life to Him. Through this, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, and this righteousness is perfect and the only way to be reconciled to the Father.
So, how do we love the way these two commandments tell us? Let’s start with the first one. Loving God with all we are, is to put Him first, not just in some but in every area of our lives. Nothing must usurp the will of God. It means to desire fellowship with Him at all times. To worship and adore Him, wanting to please Him in everything we do. We must love Him more than anyone and anything else.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” Matthew 10:37.
Also, we must love Him more than ourselves, being willing to sacrifice our own life for Him and His kingdom.
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:38.
In other words, using a phrase I have used many times, “If we are not all in, we are not in at all.” We who are not ready to suffer or be put to death for the cause of Christ is not worthy of Christ and does not deserve to be called His follower.
Now, how do we love our neighbor as ourselves? First, we must follow the Golden Rule.
”In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12.
Notice that Jesus uses a similar phrase as He used in His answer to the scribe. This again shows following the law as intended is not by legalism but an exhibition of love to all.
Now, we do not wish any harm or evil on ourselves, therefore we must not desire any harm or evil on others. How we desire to be treated in any circumstance is how we are to treat others. It goes without saying what we desire would need to be of a Godly nature. So, if we are hungry we would want something to eat. Therefore feed others who are hungry. If we are ill, we would desire someone to care for us, wouldn’t we? Of course we would, therefore we need to care for others who are sick. What if we wronged someone, whether intentionally or not. Would we want grace and forgiveness from that person? Of course. Then we must give grace and forgiveness to those who wrong us, intentionally or not.
And we must not let our feelings get in the way. God commands us to love everyone. Even if we do not feel like it, we must love anyway. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said that we are called to love our enemies as well as our friends or acquaintances.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-47.
Now, I am not a poet, but God gave me this one evening as I was resting before going to sleep. He had been showing me in various ways that people need to be loved and wanted, however, there are many all over the world who do not presently experience either. Please be open to show love to the unloved and help them to know that someone does love and care for them. We are to be the hands and feet of Christ on this earth. Remember, some of these may be Christians while many may not, but whatever you do not do for the least of these His brethren, you have not done it unto Christ. Here is what He gave me.
————————————————————————————————————–“The Lonely Man.”
“Hello there!” said the homeless man to people passing by.
He waved his hand and gave a smile while looking in their eyes.
They turned away without a glance as if he was not there.
But the lonely man just persevered wishing someone would actually care.
–
Hours pass and hunger comes but he has no food to eat
till someone laughs and mocks while throwing garbage at his feet.
When nighttime comes and no one stops he looks up at the stars.
Then slowly walks-on down the street past all the fancy cars.
–
He turns into an alley where he hunts a place to rest,
but he finds himself escorted out as an unwanted guest.
Eventually he finds a bench on a lonely dead end street
where he slowly lays his body down with his head upon the seat.
–
He dreams about a time long gone and all the memories
of happy times and many smiles with friends and family.
He then remembers all the tears of seeing loved ones die,
and losing all that he had owned to an evil scammers lie.
–
He wakes up in the morning, just like every other day,
with tears that flow down dirty cheeks while on the bench he lay.
He hoped this day would bring to him a kind and loving friend
to take away the loneliness he feared would never end.
–
“Hello there!” said this same sad man to people passing by.
He waved his hand and gave a smile while looking in their eyes.
They turned away without a glance as if he was not there,
But the lonely man just persevered wishing someone would actually care.
——————————————————————————————————————-
In closing, love should not be something we can choose depending on who they are. We must love all who are friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, enemies, or anyone else. Loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves is the only way we can be a light in the darkness of this world. What better way to show the love of God then to exhibit this love through the reality of our faith by living it in opposition to a narcissistic culture that thinks of themselves over anyone else. Whatever we do for a brother or sister in Christ who is in need, we have done for Christ. Whatever we do for a stranger or unsaved person in need we have done for Christ and will show them we love them and care for them, desiring the very best for them while giving them a reason to listen to the truth of Christ that we proclaim. And showing love like this is living life according to the will of God, for that is what He desires of us. And this should be a lifestyle we always live, not just a periodic event. There are so many people in this world who do not know anyone who truly loves them. They are lonely and often have no hope of anything better. I can promise when you do go out, you will be greatly satisfied and content because this is exactly why we are here. To show the world the love of God, helping to meet their needs, and pointing them to Christ.
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