Read: Luke 10:25-37
Of the traits this blog will discuss, love is primary. To be like Jesus, as all who believe in him must, you need to show love, just as he did. After all, love shaped the character of Jesus more than anything else. And love is a virtue all Christians need to display so the true nature of Jesus can be revealed in them.
Of course, some confuse love with sex, which is often called euphemistically "making love". The concept of sex that Jesus had will be the subject of my next post. Here the discussion will be limited to analysis of the love of God.
This love is, was, and always will be central to the ministry of Jesus. Most of all, he wanted to be loved, loved by all. Notably, he wanted the Jews to love him as much as they loved God the Father, who sent him. Also, he longed for his inner circle of disciples to love him, although he was unsure about whether or not they did.
In order to be certain that these men did actually love him, he set a test. Those who followed him had to demonstrate the love they had for him by obeying his commands. While these were diverse, demonstrating love was paramount. Uppermost is the need to love God with your total being - heart, mind and soul.
And it is equally important to love everyone in your neighbourhood. This seems to be even more of a challenge today than in the past, given how multicultural society is now. Your neighbour might very well have a different ethnic background to you. Regardless, you still need to love them.
One way to do this is by helping to meet the needs of these people. Two simple methods are praying for ministries that serve these people and donating money to worthy causes. Some will even go further and unconditionally offer them water or food or whatever else they need.
Oddly enough, this is exactly what Jesus did. He turned water into wine, loaves and fishes into meals for thousands, met the multiple needs of the lost and the lonely. In fact, the full extent of his love was demonstrated by the fact that he agreed, willingly, to allow himself to be crucified.
This crucifixion was the ultimate act of love - the Bible says Jesus laid down his life so that others might live once they died, might receive eternal life, and might go to reside with him in Heaven forever and ever. His sacrifice meant Christians - who are called by his name - will be saved from endless death and decay and darkness.
Such love. Such love. What other response can there be than to love him as he loved us? And if this love is genuine, can others not be loved in his name? How can you show love this week? I invite you to think about this and then add your comments so this discussion can continue.
Prayer: Jesus. Help me to show love. Help me to love you with my total being - heart, mind and soul. Help me to love my neighbours. Amen.
Of the traits this blog will discuss, love is primary. To be like Jesus, as all who believe in him must, you need to show love, just as he did. After all, love shaped the character of Jesus more than anything else. And love is a virtue all Christians need to display so the true nature of Jesus can be revealed in them.
Of course, some confuse love with sex, which is often called euphemistically "making love". The concept of sex that Jesus had will be the subject of my next post. Here the discussion will be limited to analysis of the love of God.
This love is, was, and always will be central to the ministry of Jesus. Most of all, he wanted to be loved, loved by all. Notably, he wanted the Jews to love him as much as they loved God the Father, who sent him. Also, he longed for his inner circle of disciples to love him, although he was unsure about whether or not they did.
In order to be certain that these men did actually love him, he set a test. Those who followed him had to demonstrate the love they had for him by obeying his commands. While these were diverse, demonstrating love was paramount. Uppermost is the need to love God with your total being - heart, mind and soul.
And it is equally important to love everyone in your neighbourhood. This seems to be even more of a challenge today than in the past, given how multicultural society is now. Your neighbour might very well have a different ethnic background to you. Regardless, you still need to love them.
One way to do this is by helping to meet the needs of these people. Two simple methods are praying for ministries that serve these people and donating money to worthy causes. Some will even go further and unconditionally offer them water or food or whatever else they need.
Oddly enough, this is exactly what Jesus did. He turned water into wine, loaves and fishes into meals for thousands, met the multiple needs of the lost and the lonely. In fact, the full extent of his love was demonstrated by the fact that he agreed, willingly, to allow himself to be crucified.
This crucifixion was the ultimate act of love - the Bible says Jesus laid down his life so that others might live once they died, might receive eternal life, and might go to reside with him in Heaven forever and ever. His sacrifice meant Christians - who are called by his name - will be saved from endless death and decay and darkness.
Such love. Such love. What other response can there be than to love him as he loved us? And if this love is genuine, can others not be loved in his name? How can you show love this week? I invite you to think about this and then add your comments so this discussion can continue.
Prayer: Jesus. Help me to show love. Help me to love you with my total being - heart, mind and soul. Help me to love my neighbours. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment