| Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. When he said that, he didn’t surprise anyone. That’s what you’d expect someone to say. Even his sequent greatest commandment wasn’t too outrageous. It’s not like forgetting salt in the offering was everyone’s favorite commandment (Leviticus 2:13). The expectation of the greatest commandment is to love God with all your being. Think of whatever drives you. Your motivation. Your get up. All those things you give to accomplish your goals or even to make it through the day at work. The commandment is to love God with every bit of that personal energy. We all have that oomph. Your level of it may exceed mine. But we all know when we’re, as we say, giving it all we have. When it comes to loving God with our oomph, we can easily envision what that looks like. Tithing, praying, worshiping and serving are easy examples. You don’t just give. You give with joy and hopeful expectation of what your offering means to God and the Lord’s ministry. When you pray, you pray with fervor and intent. And your worship isn’t passive or indifferent. It is your life’s aim to praise God. When people first get that feeling is when they call me. “Pastor,” they’ll ask, “what can I do for the church?” I love those calls. Not because I have something that needs fixing at church. Those calls are the reminder that God’s Spirit is still moving amongst the people of God. What I hope we realize is what you can do for the church is what you can do for others. It’s the second greatest commandment. So, if we’re called to love God with all our oomph, how do you suppose we’re called to love each other? Yes, with the same level of oomphness. 1 Peter 1:22 reinforces this. According to Peter, the preciousness of what Christ has done for us sets the table for deepening our trust in God. Christ also bolsters our hope in the Lord. And he provided us the capacity to share a mutual love. But we don’t stop at mutual love. Peter goes on to say to “love one another deeply from the heart.” Now, a surface reading of that text makes it sound Hallmark-y. Loving one another, though, isn’t about sappy feelings. The sense Peter is giving in that text goes much deeper. Think of the Olympic athletes we’re admiring right now. Their athletic skills are amazing. We know these athletes spend years in training. They discipline their bodies and lives to prepare. When Peter says to love one another deeply, it’s that intensity and dedication he has in mind. There are no medals for loving each other in this way. But doing so means we understand that God’s gift to us is worth more than perishable things like gold and silver. Stay blessed…john |
John Fletcher
Tags
Bible Blessing Blessings Church Discipleship Encouragement Evangelism Faith Fear Fellowship Follow Me Forgiveness Friendship Giving Grace Healing Holidays Holiness Holy Spirit Hope Humility Jesus Joy Leadership Life Love Ministry Mission Obedience Patience Peace Prayer Purpose Renewal Resurrection Sanctification Sermons Strength Transformation Trust Unity Wisdom Witness Work Worship
