God says it’s most important and the greatest, and we do too …
But not really …
Here is the thrust of this whole post. I am still on a quest to find out why we as professing Christians so easily dismiss the love of God as a working construct for our lives of faith.
We say we believe it, or at least many of us do. But if loving God and loving our neighbor as God would describe and define are not integral parts of our lives, then we do not believe it. Not really. Not as we should.
God says …
You’ve heard the kids, probably done it yourself when you were younger – “Mom says.” “Dad said.” Now maybe it’s the weight of the boss’s words we throw around – “Well Kyle said …” And the old song – “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” But if we are not living it, then do we really believe it?
God does say it. Very clearly. Amazingly he calls us to love him, which should cause us to stop and worship – our love relationship with our Creator and Redeemer is at the top of his list of priorities. Of all the things on God’s list as manager of the universe, at the top is our love for him. If this doesn’t stir your soul, please stop reading and check your pulse.
Here it is in the black and white of Scripture:
- Matthew 22:35–40 (NKJV)
Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
- (Galatians 5:14 GW)
All of Moses’ Teachings are summarized in a single statement, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
- (Romans 13:8 NASB)
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
- (Matthew 7:12 NIV)
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
- (Romans 13:10 ESV)
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
- (John 15:12 NIV)
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
- (James 2:8 NCV)
This royal law is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you obey this law, you are doing right.
- (Galatians 5.6 NIV)
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
- (John 14:15 NIV)
If you love me, you will obey what I command.
So why do we so easily dismiss God’s direction with our own.
Love Stoppers Part One: Pride
Pride: First, obeying God’s great command is a fast track to humility, not an easy thing for us unless we bow low and often before the throne of God, and even then we may struggle but God is gracious. One lesson after another by the Holy Spirit of God as he reworks the way we relate to each other and to God. The way we talk, our treatment of people, confession of the sins of rudeness and insensitivity. Have you ever thought as you read God’s description of love how his list of things to avoid is so different than ours?
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–6 (NIV84)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, 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.
Only God can do the necessary inside work.
Paul doesn’t deal with drug use and prostitution, or smoking and drinking, what content we view on the television or internet. No this is a grass roots pursuit of God all the way down to how do I treat the person next to me, not what is my expressed opinion on the doctrinal, moral and ethical issues of the day. The sharp, powerful, living words are designed to penetrate and change the inside first. We can redo the outside. Any self-respecting religious clod can do the outside makeover. But inside is where the real action is, and inside is God’s domain. We clean the plate; God cleans the heart (Matthew 23:25-26).
Only God can change us from the inside. Hint: We may want to pay attention to what he says (not what we think) is most important.
- Patient, kind, not envy, not boast, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, doesn’t keep a list of wrongs for later pay back.
Our pride is such that we don’t admit, or possibly even realize, what we are doing. As Bible-believing followers of Jesus, we would never say that we have a better idea for living.
So let me ask you this. As you follow Jesus Christ, are these principles found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 evident on your path of obedience and faith?
A challenge.
Sometimes we are just plain wrong in our treatment of the people around us. They are more an inconvenience or an interruption in our lives than creations of God. Confessing our sins and admitting our wrong to someone when we blow it causes severe damage to our pride. So hard to do. And yet so rewarding; deep, deep inside where God speaks his pleasure and strength to us.
An even greater challenge.
And now I speak from even more personal experience. When someone does something wrong, and we are doing the right thing, and yet our attitude is wrong and that shows up in how we talk to them. This is quite a hurdle – dealing with people who perpetually are messing something up. My struggle often with this type of person is at work. Simple things that they should have right by now but they just don’t care enough to do what is right.
Within the scope of loving my neighbor is it okay to confront them? Yes. In fact, we should confront them as we honor God and our employer. But should our words be harsh and insensitive, lacking grace and patience. No. We can be firm and strong and stay within the realm of God’s grace.
But sometimes we don’t.
- The equation goes like this:
– Something wrong (what they did).
– Something right (what we did correcting their course).
– Something right but with harshness and impatience.
– Time to confess our sin to God and admit our wrong to our coworker.
“But the person was being such an idiot.” Possibly true but does not excuse us from the good teaching of God.
Remember. We really cannot rely on our own wisdom. God didn’t write the following down for us as an afterthought.
- Proverbs 3:5–7 (NIV84)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
Don’t forget that this simple instruction comes from the infinite mind of God, a God whose ways are unsearchable by mere earth dwellers.
- Romans 11:33–34 (GW)
God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways. 34 “Who knows how the Lord thinks? Who can become his adviser?”
Simple instruction – Love God, love neighbor – from a God whose ways and thoughts are above our ways and thoughts as the heavens are above the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9).
- Do we really want to second-guess this God?
At least three more “love stoppers” to follow in separate posts: Power / Possessions / Precedent
