Hi Folk
The words of Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39 are so well known to us. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Yet, either in their familiarity or in our lack of understanding of love, they have lost their impact in our lives. Today I would have us meditate on these words of Jesus. I want us to understand that this love Jesus speaks of is not just a nice thing to say or a soppy narcissistic sentimentality. The love Jesus speaks of is a profound unselfish, unconditional love. It is a love which sacrifices self for the best of the other; it is a love that if we allow it, will change us, our families, our communities and our world. It is a love which changes not only the lover but the beloved.
This love overcomes evil, hatred and selfishness. It is a love that raises the dead and brings life into the darkest of places. However, this love is not something which we can fake or manufacture from our own will. It is a love that God pours into us because it is a love that only comes from God. As we allow God to love us and as we receive God’s love into our minds, into our hearts and into our spirits it transforms us and allows us to love God in return and to love others in the same way that God loves them.
My prayer is that you will get just how much God loves you and that you will then in return be able to love God and others as an outflow of the love you have received.
Blessings and Love
Harry