We say we love God, but have we ever asked ourselves the question: How do I know I love God? A simple and sobering question to ask ourselves. It’s easy enough to say we love God, but is there daily evidence to support this statement? Do we put our faith into practice daily? Christianity is 24/7/365. It takes perseverance, diligence, prayer and daily attendance to study of His Word, and putting into practice those things which we have learned.
“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. And the second is like, namely this. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
Our Lord places these two commandments at the forefront. Those two commandments sum up Christianity, for without them Christianity would be meaningless. Love was nailed to the cross. It was a perfect love God had for mankind, and He was willing to sacrifice His only Son, that we, through His Son’s death, burial and resurrection, would have the hope of eternal life. That is God’s true love for mankind.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Do we love our neighbor? Do we love him enough to teach him the Truth of God’s Word, or do we leave the teaching to others? ..As I write this the thought occurred to me about the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite passed by on the other side and had no compassion for the man who was stripped of his clothing, robbed and left for dead, but the Samaritan had compassion and took care of his neighbor. We should do likewise, and not pass by on the other side leaving our neighbor to die, and in the spiritual sense, leaving our neighbor to die without hope of eternal life.
“By this shall all men know, that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35
Inspired Scripture gives us the true meaning of love.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil: Rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the Truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly: but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” I Corinthians 13
“When Jesus died on the cross, the mercy of God did not become greater. It could not become any greater, for it was already infinite. We get the odd notion that God is showing mercy because Jesus died. No – – Jesus died because God is showing mercy. It was the mercy of God that gave us Calvary, not Calvary that gave us mercy. If God had not been merciful there would have been no incarnation, no babe in the manger, no man on a cross, and no open tomb.” ~ Tozer
Eileen Light