To Love As Jesus Loved: The Imperative Of Love

(Mark 12:28-31) “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? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 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 neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0sYFSrX-qs]   As we continue our look at the many display of love in Christ’s life through His teachings and our actions, we now continue our brief look at a few of His teachings concerning love…  

Christ’s Teaching:

  Another of the subjects Christ addressed during His earthly ministry was “The Imperative Of Love”…

We should all be concerned about the Lord’s desires for our lives…

“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? After listening to an exchange between Christ and the Sadducees concerning the resurrection of the body and the status of marriage following the resurrection, this young scribe recognized the wisdom and authority with which Christ spoke. He then, from a sincere, questioning heart, asked Christ which commandment was the “first” in priority and importance.  

We are to love God with our entire being… 

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: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. Christ’s answer was clear and to the point… There is only one God that exists and our first priority of life is to love Him with our entire being. Please notice that Christ not only addresses this young scribe but all of “Israel”, His chosen people. Keep in mind that physical Israel is a symbolic representation of all those who are chosen to faith in Christ. This helps us to understand that the commandment to love the true God applies to all of His people. Also, please notice that a Christian is to love Him with their entire being… this is shown to us by the phrase “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all our mind, and with all thy strength”.   These 4 terms teach us that our desires (heart), our physical life (soul), our thoughts (mind), and our abilities (strength) are to be dedicated unto His use, to bring glory and honor to Him.  

We are to love others as if they were ourselves…

And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Most, if not all, of us would do be willing to make any sacrifice that is necessary to meet our own needs. This is the same attitude we should hold towards others. When we see a need in their lives, we are to be willing to do whatever is necessary to help them meet their needs whether they are physical, or spiritual, in nature. Are we willing to give our coat to the one who is cold? Will we give of our food to one that is hungry, or are our time and attention to those who are lonely? Most importantly, are we willing to share the gospel in the face mockery, abuse, or even death, for those who are lost and ready to perish eternally? These can all be displays of a genuine love that we hold in our heart for our relatives, our friends, our acquaintances, and even the strangers that the Lord brings into the path of our life.  

Love is first in priority and importance among all the commandments of God…

There is none other commandment greater than these.” Loving the Lord and our neighbor are the two most important of all of God’s commands. This is because when we love God and others as we should, we will automatically keep all His other commands. IF we love God, we WILL honor, worship, and serve Him by keeping all His commands. If we love Him will not take His name in vain, we will serve Him exclusively, we will not worship graven images etc etc etc. IF we love others, we WILL not sin against them but will live to meet their needs. If we love others we will not lie to them, we will not murder them, we will not commit adultery against them, we will not steal their belongings etc etc etc.  

 Our Lesson To Be Learned:

So in response to the question, “Is showing love an absolute imperative for the Christian” we can see through the teachings of Christ plainly show us that this is the number one priority for the Christian. We have seen that Christ emphasizes this point to us using implications and clear statement of His command to us… 1. We should all be concerned about the Lord’s desires for our lives… 2. We are to love God with our entire being… 3. We are to love others as if they were ourselves… 4. Love is first in priority and importance among all the commandments of God… May we all settle in our hearts the supreme need to love the Lord and others as we seek to serve Him!   SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/ SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/ SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com