When asked “Which is the most important commandment,” Jesus answered and said, “"The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30. 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.' 31. The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31).
So, again, in review – when asked about the most important commandment, Jesus responds basically in three parts.
(1) A declaration about God’s uniqueness.
(2) A command to love God with every ounce of our being.
(3) A command to love “your neighbor as yourself.”
So far in our “additional thoughts,” we have looked at part one and two. So, today we have the high honor of meditating on, chewing on, and mulling over this third – great part. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Take a moment and read Luke 10:25-37.
In this familiar passage Jesus does something that is simply worldview shattering for the lawyer and hopefully us as well. He shows him, through a story, that truly loving your neighbor is costly and sacrificial. Jesus also shows the lawyer that loving your neighbor is actually loving everyone you come into contact with, even those that we might consider to be enemies, worthless, and undeserving. WOW! If that’s not challenging, I don’t know what is.
I wonder, who do you have trouble loving today?
Who, in your life, has relinquished their “right” to your love?
Who are you unconcerned about caring for that you regularly come into contact with?
Scripture clearly shows that those who love God WILL love their neighbors.
1 John 4 states,
7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love…19. [And,] We love because he first loved us. 20. If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
These are challenging words!
If you are like me it is not hard to see areas of your life that are “less-than” loving others.
Are you short with your spouse?
Are you snippy to your parents?
Do you get put out when the worker takes too long?
Do you always think “I could have done _________ better?”
Are you argumentative with those around you?
Are you unconcerned about the spiritual state of people you’re not close to?
When is the last time you were generous with someone not in your immediate family?
Friends, thanks be to God that in Christ we have no condemnation. When we see areas that need to changed or transformed by the Word, what is the appropriate response for followers of Christ?
- Is it to simply grind our teeth and growl?
- Is it simply to add another thing to our daily checklist?
- Is it to think positive thoughts?
- Is it to just do something else to get our minds off of it?
- Is it to become introspective and write a riveting poem?
- Is it to throw ourselves into feeling guilty for a few days and then never genuinely change?
Well no. The people of God are to be the people who are always asking – What does God want to change in me NEXT. What areas of my life can reflect His glory more clearly? What can I repent of next? What areas of my life aren’t bringing Him the glory that He deserves?
We are to be a people that are always repenting – always changing – always being pruned by The Great Vinedresser! Praise God that He has called us to be His disciplines.
Today, if you recognize that you have not loved well. Repent! Be honest with God. Then ask Him to do this work in your heart. Ask Him to increase your love for the people around you. Ask Him to give you eyes to see the opportunities that are never-ending, everyday! Ask him to give you courage to love well! As Him to prune away your self-love, self-concern and to burden you for the people around you!
And then get out and live well!
Simply repent and seek to live this life of radical love – Today. In all our dealings, may those we love see our good works and give glory to our Heavenly Father!
Blessings,
Chris Newkirk
Posted on
Thursday, January 28, 2010
by Chris Newkirk