Commandment To Love
Mark 12:
28: And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning
together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him,
Which is the first commandment of all? (29) And Jesus answered him,
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God
is one Lord: (30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength; this is the first commandment. (31) And the second is
like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these.
One of the first
commandments God gave unto Israel was to "listen and hear"
that He was one Lord. "To hear" meant they were to
understand and "know" God personally as one Lord. They
were to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and
strength. The second commandment went with the
first. The second was "thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself." Jehovah God said there was no other commandment
greater than these.
Thoughts on love and the Church
The Kingdom of
God as on earth now is in the realm of profession only. There
is a true Church but all people who profess to know Christ do
not actually love or possess Christ within. Only those who
"possess what they profess" will inherit the heavenly
"Kingdom of God" in the day of the Lord.
We are given many
parables such as the mustard seed and the wheat and tares. Wheat and
tares grow together, but His Angels will separate the
wheat from the tares in the end-time harvest. The true Church
or believers, will inherit the Kingdom of God and live eternally
with Him in glory. We are to be as "sheaves of
wheat" ready at any time to be gathered by the Lord at
Harvest time. True Christians will be separated from the tares and
enter into His Kingdom in Heaven. The tares represent those
who do not truly belong to Christ or do not possess what they
profess. These will be bound and cast into the fire. The Lord
knows those who are His and will keep them in his care. The
wheat and tares are allowed to grow together until the time of
harvest.
As true Children
of God, we should love Him with our whole heart and everything
within us. If we have this kind of love for God, we will also
have love for our neighbor as commanded by God. This love is
patient, longsuffering, kind and will always show Christ's mercy
unto others. The love we are commanded to have for others will
never fail.
People in many
Churches today find it easy to love those of the same doctrine,
belief, social status, race, or creed. Those who may be
of other doctrines, status, or another color are sometimes not
accepted into Churches. We should always remember who the
Church actually belongs to. The Church is never ours to say
who may or many not be welcome, or who is not desired in our
fellowship. The Church belongs to the Lord as it was purchased
by His blood and is one body or "one new man". It is
to be the gathering together in assembly on earth of all who will
worship in spirit and in truth. It is not a name over the
door, but who lives within our hearts. There are no
preferences in the eyes of the Lord as to who may be a part of His
body or church, however; one must have a desire to be
holy. "Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord" is
welcomed into His body. There are many denominations which are
part of the one true Church. It is more than what we are
called or the title of our denomination, it is "who called
us".
We, as
Christians, are to help make true disciples or followers of Christ
by teaching them to observe whatsoever things He has commanded us.
"One New Man"
Ephesians 2: 15
tells us, "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the
law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace. For by one Spirit
are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one
Spirit. (1 Cor. 12-13).
Unity in
the Body of Christ
True peace and
unity in the Body of Christ will only come when we accept others as
Christ accepts them. There are many different Churches,
Assemblies, and Fellowships in this world today. All who teach
truth of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and accept
the New Covenant of grace and truth are "one body".
We are part of the one new man in Christ and are His body upon this
earth. We must love one another to be in unity in our
fellowships and to enjoy the peace Christ desires to bring.
Let us no longer
be divided as to the meaning of the Body of Christ. We are to
be his arms extended to fallen man, his feet to carry the Gospel
message of truth, and his mouthpiece to proclaim the "good
news" and peace of Christ.
God does not look
upon us as black, white, red, or yellow but sees us all as only one
body to be knit together. He is the head and we are to be in
subjection to Him.
David gives
us a vivid picture of the human body in the Book of Psalms. By
inspiration he also describes how the Church is to be joined
together. In Ps. 139: 15 he shares his prayer unto God:
"My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret,
and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. The
word "wrought" used in this passage means "skillfully
woven together". The Saints of old would weave the
embroidery work together skillfully with threads of different colors
or textures making an intricate design of beauty. The human
body is wonderfully and marvelously created by God. We
are also spiritually woven together by the Lord into the "one
new man". He has given us "beauty for ashes"
and made us a new creature in Him.
The Scripture
tells us even our very substance was not hid from God in the
womb, (lowest part of earth). Adam was created from the
dust of the earth and we also return to dust at death. We will
be resurrected with an incorruptible body in glory. Even
though imperfect before birth and before being fully formed, God had
every member of our bodies written in His book. Our members
were continually being fashioned, when as yet there were none of
them. These Scriptures shown in Psalm 139 also shows us
abortion is a crime against God and sin in His eyes. Even an
"imperfect substance" at any stage of development is a
life already written in God's book. This is a soul in God's
sight and this life should be recognized as such. We must speak the
truth and declare what the Scripture reveals unto others.
The Church
is also woven together with people of all Nations and colors.
Christians start out as babes in Christ and mature to bring forth
fruit for His glory. Even though imperfect, they are a new
creation recognized by God. Their faults and failures as new
Christians should be prayed for and Christian love shown to
them. Our help and God's guidance by the Holy Spirit will lead
them on to Christian maturity. Each Christian has their own
individual personality but are created in the image of
God. Each member has a place in the body of Christ.
According to Scripture, the parts or members some may consider
"uncomely"; are to be given greater honor as they may be
weaker. We are to lift up and encourage a brother or sister
who may be weak in faith. We must show them Christ, who is
their refuge and strength.
Let love rule and
reign in your life today as you let Christ be Lord of all. He
will let the love within your heart flow out to reach others.
See each person who has accepted the Saviour as part of the Body of
Christ. Look at sinners as those whom Christ does not want to
perish. It is his will that all come to repentance and He shed
his life's blood for their salvation.
Ask in prayer
"what Jesus would do" whenever faced with prejudice,
strife, lack of commitment, and lack of love. He will tell you
to show forth his love and fruit of the Spirit. Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you. The love and blessings you
bestow to others will return unto you. He will show you grace
and mercy and let the beauty of his face shine upon you when you
keep His commandments of love. All the other commandments
hinge on these two great laws of love. These laws bring life
and liberty. Love is the door that opens the way to
Christ. Love and the blood of Jesus is to the church what
blood is to our human bodies. Love keeps his Body alive and
well on this earth.
As a Christian
believer you are a part of this great body of Christ. Each
member needs the other and all of us need more of the Lord each
day. He is the head of the Body or Church on earth and faithful
ruler over all. Reach out today with love to others and
you will be richly rewarded.
Remember, love
never fails.
J. P.'s
Inspirations
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Midi playing More Love More Power