One time, as Christ was speaking with the Pharisees, he was asked to give the greatest commandment:
"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. Matthew 22:35-38 (ESV)
It's interesting to note that Christ told us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (the other gospel accounts of this quote sometimes include "strength" as well). In other words, we are to love God with the entirety of our existence.
I think we can make Christianity far more complicated than it really is. Christ gave us clear and simple (though not easy) directives on how to live our lives as followers of him, and he makes clear what the greatest of commands is. Love is the greatest thing we as Christians can do.
Christ was not talking about a love for:
I think we can make Christianity far more complicated than it really is. Christ gave us clear and simple (though not easy) directives on how to live our lives as followers of him, and he makes clear what the greatest of commands is. Love is the greatest thing we as Christians can do.
Christ was not talking about a love for:
- The church
- The Bible
- The Gospel
- Evangelism
- Philosophy
- Theology
- Apologetics
- Science
- History
- Arts
- Music
- Worship
- Marriage
- [fill in the blank].
Christ was talking about a love for God himself. Not the things of Christianity, God himself. Not rational argument or critical thinking, but God himself. Not even living a life of righteousness, but God himself.
Why would Jesus make an emphasis on loving God the most important thing we can do? Because when we love God with the entirety of our existence (heart, soul, mind, and strength), everything in that bullet list above will fall perfectly into place. It is only when we are in love with God first and foremost that everything above can belong where it should be in our lives.
In short, what does love for God got to do with it? Absolutely everything.
Why would Jesus make an emphasis on loving God the most important thing we can do? Because when we love God with the entirety of our existence (heart, soul, mind, and strength), everything in that bullet list above will fall perfectly into place. It is only when we are in love with God first and foremost that everything above can belong where it should be in our lives.
In short, what does love for God got to do with it? Absolutely everything.
No comments:
Post a Comment