Love
"Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself."
Matt. 22:36-39, CEV
It’s all about love.
God and I just keep on coming back to that. A simple lesson, one you’d think I’d have down by now. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor. Not so difficult. We humans, though, we have this need to complicate things. So we, usually unconsciously, add a little bit here or there. Love the Lord and your neighbor, and don’t drink or smoke. Love the Lord and your neighbor, and make sure you don’t skip your quiet times. Love the Lord and your neighbor, and make sure that you’re volunteering at church events. Love the Lord your God and your neighbor and, and, and…. We add this never-ending list of “ands” to what is required of us.
That’s all peripheral stuff. What’s the GREATEST commandment, according to our Lord Jesus Christ? To love. Love God with everything in you and love your neighbor. Not just in theory but worked out in the everyday practicalities of life. I am 100% convinced that if we simply loved each other as Christ loved us we would see revival on a scale we scarcely dare to imagine. I’m not saying that it’s easy to love like Christ loved. It’s not; sometimes it’s incredibly difficult. In my human efforts I fail at this daily, often hourly. God alone can teach us to love as He loves, and I have a feeling that it’s a lifelong learning process. But it’s one I’m willing to undertake and that I pray you are, too.
My father has told me more times than I can count that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, to keep my priorities in order. Christ has prioritized for us, better than we ever could for ourselves. It’s all about love. I urge you to love Christ with everything in you and to love those around you with a passion stronger than you’ve ever had before.
