Saturday, September 01, 2007

love versus self

Mt 22:34-40; But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

I find this an interesting passage. Jesus didn't say that the greatest command was to learn Scripture so that we could silence other like he did. I saw through them. I knew the condition of their heart and He spoke directly to that.

The beauty and simplicity of the Gospel which is oft overlooked is that even the least literate believer can understand: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

Jesus taught this love on the cross by example more than by words. He became the living Word.

Ro 5.7-8; For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We cannot experience new life without love, and we cannot know love without dying to ourselves.

What is your love like? Are you preferring others before yourself? I see two camps these days. I see many who give no thought for others or truth, they live simply for self. Then I see others who have a high value for truth but they wield this truth as a way to lift up themselves and often to cut down others. It is rare to find a man these days in love with Truth such that he is willing to lay down his life. They fail to see Jesus' self-denial as the ultimate way to uphold truth. Truth does not need to be compromised to be humble. In fact, Truth is amplified through love.

There is n excellent way to live and to proclaim Truth - it is called dying to self. How well did you die today?

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2 comments:

Rick Frueh said...

http://judahslion.blogspot.com/2007/07/dangerous-love-lk.html

ricki said...

Rick - thanks, good post!

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