Love!

Love!

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:37‭-‬39 KJV

Context and Charge:

Be careful of motives that push you into sin. Be careful of motives that give you a false sense of your own importance. Jesus was busy teaching the crowd and his disciples about the principles of his kingdom but as it was always the case, the Jewish leaders- scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the law- were always there to oppose him. Today's extract is one of those engagements. Jesus had spoken about the law of Moses, and how his coming to the world was the fulfilment of the righteous requirements of the law. Maybe the Pharisees sensed a challenge to their authority and power, or they simply wanted to put Jesus on the spot for raising one commandment as more important than the other, one of them asked the question: 'Which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Jesus' response is quite revealing. The Law was expected to draw men closer to God, providing them with a set of rules to govern their relationship with God and also with man. I note that God had already established rules for man, even in the Garden of Eden, where the man was not to eat from a certain tree. However, by virtue of sin, man now struggles with obeying God's law. It's obvious that mere force of will is not enough to command allegiance to the law. There is something that only God can birth in me that will supply the grace and strength to live in line with the law of God. That thing God gives is called LOVE. With love, obedience to God is easier. With love, affection for God, and then empathy for others at the same time, is easier. You cannot fake it. Do I have God's love in me? Do you?

Conviction and Conclusion:

Love for God must demand the whole of me, if it is to be genuine. I cannot love God and the world at the same time. It will demand all of me, and that is why it makes reference to all my heart, all my soul and all my mind. I note that none of these options speak directly to what I do, and which men see, but when the allegiance and commitment of the inner man is sorted, it will always reflect on the outer man. My love for my fellow man is a result of my love for God. I cannot fool God with hypocrisy, eye-service or outright deception; that which he births in me answers to him, and cannot be faked. Love for God and love for man are connected; the understanding of who God and what he wants helps me also relate with other people with God's kind of heart. This is what he demands from all who claim to know and follow Him. Am I one of them? Are you? God's time of favour is here.