A scribe
asked Jesus to explain, in a nutshell, the bottom line of what it means to
follow God.
In his reply to the Scribe, Jesus pulls together two well-known passages of Old Testament Scripture:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” And “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-34)
Everything
written in the Bible boils down to these two great Christian principles, and
the bottom line of Christian living is found in these words: First of all, love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and with all your strength.
This is
the top priority. This is where it all begins. This is where true living begins. This is where
understanding love that is real, begins! This is where spirituality, union
with God, positive thinking, great personal relations, exciting church
membership, successful parenting and a glorious marriage begins. Loving
God is the source of a dynamic, caring, meaningful life!
And,
secondly, we are to love our neighbour – all other people - like we love our
own lives!
In Romans
12 Paul emphasizes love as our main responsibility in the Church of Christ.
Whether it is our love for the Lord, fellow-believers, my neighbour or even my
“enemy” – our love must be sincere and genuine. If love is faked it consists
of empty words, and we must remember that “our deeds should not speak so loudly
against this bottom line, that others cannot hear our words of love”.
Whenever
Paul thinks of the faith community, he teaches that they are a family in the
Lord. Romans 12:10 says: Be devoted to one another in family love. Honour
one another above yourselves.
We only have
one Father. The bond that unites the members of the family in the Lord has
pre-eminence to any other bond or loyalty in our lives. The members of the
“Christ-family” should do all in their power to be and remain devoted to each
other in tender affection. This family
affection implies compassion, unity, peace, support and respect – “especially
to those who are of the household of faith”. (Gal 6:10).
If we do
not serve the Lord by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, the church
becomes a cesspool of gossip, click forming, caucuses and backstabbing that
tears God’s church apart.
“Therefore,
if it is possible, as far it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Peacemakers are people whose lives and deeds
confirm that they love the Lord their God with all their heart and the God of
peace leads them and that they are God’s children who love their brothers and
sisters.
But we know
from 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8 that “love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is
not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails”.
Jesus-love
always remains the bottom-line of our lives - and Jesus’ sacrificial love always
remains our example! Love indeed
changes everything.
Comments
Post a Comment