“One of [the Pharisees], and expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”
Our love for God is given priority. Even as we are called to love others, we will love them best by first loving God. His love transforms us. To love Him will be to obey Him, and through obedience and surrender, we can love others more purely because our hearts are sanctified and at peace.
And then we see the second commandment. The one Jesus so clearly portrayed in his life on earth. It is honoring to God and touches his heart like no other offering we set forth. It is love for others. Do we struggle with that request? Are we ever empty? Then let us ask God for His agape love to fill our hearts for those we deem unlovable. This is the greatest call of all: to love. It is the purest motivation for service and the most pleasing act we can perform as humans.
Paul lived as a servant and followed the man who was and is the Lord. He came to see that all our works, and even the good intentions of our hearts fall to the ground next to the cross, if we did not love. But in fact, if we love, we will act.
There are almost as many references in the Bible for the word Love as for the word Lord. It is neatly curious to consider the connection between John 3:16, in which we clearly see the purest form of God’s love, and that of 1 John 3:16, through which we see the other side of love.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
In a world that searches for concrete answers for every question, here is one truth we know: love is never wrong. Should we serve out of love, that service will not be wasted. Should we give or go, restrain or act – if it is with love, it is honorable to Him and for the greater good of people.
John also tells us love drives out fear. Here is the road to freedom. Love is from God, and He does not give a Spirit of fear, but of love. He has freed us through his love. It frees us to live and dance and love others joyfully.
8/04/2008
Grace Goes On
So many of us sit on the other side of the ravine and let every possible thought stop us from crossing that bridge of grace.
“That’s not my bridge; it’s for someone else.” “I didn’t build it.” “What I have to carry across won’t hold.”
And we live in the cage that is falsehood, choosing to give up because we can’t believe grace is that good. To accept something so great for nothing is foreign to those of us who rest our pride in our own accomplishments.
Yet the grace of God calls us out to meet us where we are. God is the lover of the most unlovable. His grace is for the weak and the strong, because both need it. Without His grace, we cannot cross the ravine, no matter what we do.
Our excuses for settling on the other side of the ravine not only steal our joy, but begin to cover the work done on the cross.
The joy we wait for can only come when we accept that we are as needy today of God’s abundant grace as we were on the day we came to the Lord, and that His offer is the same today as it was on that great day. Freedom comes in knowing our daily life in Christ is as much about grace as our salvation was.
God chose us when we were His enemies. (Rom. 5:10) How much more grace does he offer those who are in Christ! His love does not wait for our works. He is still the great lover of every soul, “browsing among the lilies” and seeking the heart of every soul as his passionate love pursuit.
So let us come with empty hands and honest hearts to receive the grace God so desires to pour out. Let us hold his promises as true – for there is, thank the Lord, no condemnation for those who are in Christ. (Rom 8:1) No matter your place, the offer stands.
Grace is what made us who we are in Christ, and it will be daily grace which leads us home.
“That’s not my bridge; it’s for someone else.” “I didn’t build it.” “What I have to carry across won’t hold.”
And we live in the cage that is falsehood, choosing to give up because we can’t believe grace is that good. To accept something so great for nothing is foreign to those of us who rest our pride in our own accomplishments.
Yet the grace of God calls us out to meet us where we are. God is the lover of the most unlovable. His grace is for the weak and the strong, because both need it. Without His grace, we cannot cross the ravine, no matter what we do.
Our excuses for settling on the other side of the ravine not only steal our joy, but begin to cover the work done on the cross.
The joy we wait for can only come when we accept that we are as needy today of God’s abundant grace as we were on the day we came to the Lord, and that His offer is the same today as it was on that great day. Freedom comes in knowing our daily life in Christ is as much about grace as our salvation was.
God chose us when we were His enemies. (Rom. 5:10) How much more grace does he offer those who are in Christ! His love does not wait for our works. He is still the great lover of every soul, “browsing among the lilies” and seeking the heart of every soul as his passionate love pursuit.
So let us come with empty hands and honest hearts to receive the grace God so desires to pour out. Let us hold his promises as true – for there is, thank the Lord, no condemnation for those who are in Christ. (Rom 8:1) No matter your place, the offer stands.
Grace is what made us who we are in Christ, and it will be daily grace which leads us home.
He Is
At different times we can appreciate certain promises of God as more precious. “He was” can encourage us as we look back in our lives and see His hand so clearly moving the parts of our lives. “He will be” is a hope we carry even in and through death to our promise of eternal life. And “He is” stands out in every moment we look up and pray, “I trust you, Lord.”
For me, the name I AM has brought much comfort. It is now that He listens to the cry of our hearts. It is today that He loves us more dearly than we know. Now is always the time for grace.
We are called to wait upon God. But there is one thing for which we need never wait: His love. He passionately pursues as a mighty warrior to break forth the dawn and send the light of His love to his treasured possession.
We don’t have to wait for His love or wonder if He will ever cease to want us. It is after we believe and accept the most freeing and joyful truth of this immeasurable love without any condition that we can know all we need to know. The moment we open the door in faith, He rushes in to say:
I love you. I delight in you. You are my very creation, and I AM with you now – in this very moment. Listen … sit still … here I AM.
For me, the name I AM has brought much comfort. It is now that He listens to the cry of our hearts. It is today that He loves us more dearly than we know. Now is always the time for grace.
We are called to wait upon God. But there is one thing for which we need never wait: His love. He passionately pursues as a mighty warrior to break forth the dawn and send the light of His love to his treasured possession.
We don’t have to wait for His love or wonder if He will ever cease to want us. It is after we believe and accept the most freeing and joyful truth of this immeasurable love without any condition that we can know all we need to know. The moment we open the door in faith, He rushes in to say:
I love you. I delight in you. You are my very creation, and I AM with you now – in this very moment. Listen … sit still … here I AM.
Where our Treasure is
Matthew 16:24-26
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’”
I was given the most perfect rose the other day. I sat it on my bedside table and watched it bloom into a beautiful sight. Its scent was as strong as a perfume bottle. I loved it so much that I wanted to save it forever. So I hung it upside down to dry it, hoping to carefully preserve it. But when I looked it over the next day, the bloom was much smaller and the scent had gone away.
Immediately this verse in Matthew came to mind. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” I wished I had enjoyed my rose for what it was – and for the time it would bloom. I was in such a hurry to save it I missed out on its best bloom and lost the beauty it was truly intended for.
How often do we do so in life? We get so set on worldly things and chase them endlessly. We are always one step ahead in our life plans. And even those of us with hearts for the Lord can get caught up in building our life here on earth. What is it that we are so stuck on saving? For we know in our hearts that which will truly last – Christ and His Word. How hard are we trying to save our lives? And how much more can we “lose” for Him who gave His all for us?
Jesus said where our treasure is, our hearts will be also. Let’s find our treasure in Him today.
Lord, help me to set my mind on things above and to enjoy the precious days of life you give. Thank you for providing all I need and for blessing me with life and health and loving family and friends. Open my eyes to the needs of others and the fleeting life of material things. Give me the courage I need to deny myself and take up my cross daily for you.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’”
I was given the most perfect rose the other day. I sat it on my bedside table and watched it bloom into a beautiful sight. Its scent was as strong as a perfume bottle. I loved it so much that I wanted to save it forever. So I hung it upside down to dry it, hoping to carefully preserve it. But when I looked it over the next day, the bloom was much smaller and the scent had gone away.
Immediately this verse in Matthew came to mind. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” I wished I had enjoyed my rose for what it was – and for the time it would bloom. I was in such a hurry to save it I missed out on its best bloom and lost the beauty it was truly intended for.
How often do we do so in life? We get so set on worldly things and chase them endlessly. We are always one step ahead in our life plans. And even those of us with hearts for the Lord can get caught up in building our life here on earth. What is it that we are so stuck on saving? For we know in our hearts that which will truly last – Christ and His Word. How hard are we trying to save our lives? And how much more can we “lose” for Him who gave His all for us?
Jesus said where our treasure is, our hearts will be also. Let’s find our treasure in Him today.
Lord, help me to set my mind on things above and to enjoy the precious days of life you give. Thank you for providing all I need and for blessing me with life and health and loving family and friends. Open my eyes to the needs of others and the fleeting life of material things. Give me the courage I need to deny myself and take up my cross daily for you.
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