Friday
August 28, 2009
LOVE
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered
together.
One of them, an expert in Moses' Teachings, tested Jesus by asking, "Teacher,
which commandment is the greatest in Moses' Teachings?"
Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important
commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'
All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:34-40
Too many times we tend to "major on the minors." We are too quick sometimes to
do as Jesus taught - noticing the toothpick in someone else's eye, when there
is a telephone pole in our own. I know I have been guilty of this. So,
apparently, was this Pharisee.
The Pharisees were trained in the law and the writings of the prophets. They
had head knowledge of the important things, but whether they knew it in their
heart is another thing. That is one of the reasons Jesus responded as he did.
We are to love God with every aspect of who we are; our intellect, our emotions,
and our actions.
How many times have you heard the old saying, "actions speak louder than
words"? As I grow older this truth becomes more apparent, a means of inspecting
fruit. When I look back over my life at some of the bad choices I made, I see
just how little I understood God's Word. Such is the case of most of these
Pharisees. They knew the Scriptures, but they did not depend on wisdom to
direct them in love.
Chapter 23 is packed full of Jesus blasting the Scribes and the Pharisees
because of the lack of connection between their walk and their talk. We too need
to pay attention to these warnings and these "woes."
If Jesus thought loving each other was the second command following the command
to love God, we should pay attention. How then do we love each other? We
first focus on how Jesus showed His love to those who followed Him. He accepted
them where they were and how they were, but He also encouraged them to
grow in their faith.
Weekly, God is bringing hurting people to His house in search of His love. How
will we respond to them? Will we treat them as outsiders or will we accept
them into our family? Oh, let's begin now, praying that God will give us a
heart of compassion and love for the outcast and down trodden.
I have yet to see a church that isn't blessed with people who have great
talents and gifts. Pray today that we will not be a clanging symbol without
love.
Instead, pray that we will begin to worship God and serve others with genuine
sacrificial love. It's one thing to stand and sing songs; it's another thing
to worship Him! Which one are you doing?
Parsons Technology,
O. Addison Gethers
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