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With grateful hearts, we share our thoughts on redemption through Jesus Christ and His saving blood and what it looks like in our daily walk.

We gladly welcome your comments and input.
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AND since we hold our conservative values dear, we might have a thing or two to say about politics... and we can almost guarantee it won't be politically correct.



Thursday, February 28, 2008

Back to Basics Part III: Walking in Love

Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." TNIV



Walking in love is not an easy thing to do yet Jesus was very clear to us in that we should walk in love at all times. Here He tells us that all the Law can hang on these two commandments of love. First we are to love God with all our heart. As we learned in the last segment loving God is shown by obeying Him. The second thing we are to do is love our neighbor as we love ourselves. While that sounds simple enough, it rarely is. I believe there are two reasons for this. One, people don’t know what love really is, and two, people don’t love themselves very well.

Not to worry, God was ahead of us and he gave us the blueprint for love as well.

I Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. TNIV

Now I don’t know about you but patience is tough sometimes. Especially when I am in a hurry to get somewhere and someone is driving slow in the fast lane. Envy sure seems to creep in when I see an old friend and they are driving some expensive car and I wonder how they afford that. The toughest of these for me is probably “it keeps no record of wrongs”. That is a tough one. So many times in this life we are betrayed by people, and we are called to keep no record of that wrong. I am so very glad that God does not keep a record of my wrongs. I have fallen short time and time again and yet God has loved me through it all.

1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. God’s love for us was so great that he gave us His only son to be offered as a perfect sacrifice for us, so that we could be saved and washed clean. That is amazing love. I try to think about that love when I get skipped in line at the grocery store, or when someone doesn’t use their blinker. I also try to think of that love when I am hurting because someone has wronged me. Jesus who was without sin, and blameless was betrayed, beaten, cursed, mocked, tortured and killed in a horrific fashion and in that moment He asked God to “forgive them for they know not what they do”. Walking in love is not a suggestion for this Christian walk, it is a requirement. I am a work in progress, that is for sure, and I hope that you will work with me to show God’s love to those around us in every situation.

3 comments:

Jane said...

I had a prof who always used Matthew 22:36-40 when counseling people. He believes that this is the root of many people's problems. Either they aren't loving God will all their heart, soul, and mind or they aren't loving others. I've found that personally it works pretty well.

When I read the post I immediately thought of 2 John 1:6 which says, "And what this love consists in is this: that we live and walk in accordance with and guided by His commandments (His orders, ordinances, precepts, teaching). This is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you continue to walk in love [guided by it and following it]." (Amp)

Personally I find it harder to walk in love with those that I am closest to- family and friends. They are the ones that I struggle with the most to be patient and not to keep that record of wrongs. That is where the rubber meets the road for me.

Meems said...

NT: Great Post on walking in love. I'm with Jane... it is the peeps I love the most that I am most challenged sometimes to carry this out.

I was reading in Galatians this morning the verse that says "Faith works by love." It reminded me of your post and it reminded me if I want my faith to work, it will be by love that it does... very important basics! Thanks.

mlm said...

Meems: WHAT!?!? You are challenged to walk in love with the people you love the most? Say it isn't so!?!