Jump Start # 3580

Matthew 22:37 “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”

There are a few things interesting about our verse today. It is Jesus’ response to a trick question. A lawyer asked Him which commandment was the greatest. He did this to test Jesus. The answer Jesus gives comes from Deuteronomy. This is what the law says. But, what likely was running through this trick question, was the fact that there were 613 commandments in the O.T. All the commandments of God are important. Stacking them in order would be hard. And, which one would be most important?

Jesus didn’t leave the impression that this commandment, nor the second greatest, loving your neighbor as your self, were the only commandments that mattered. Just forget the other 611 commandments and only keep these two. One doesn’t get that from what Jesus said.

Now of interest to us is the thought that some today would make that conclusion. Only loving God and loving each other matter. Don’t worry about the other things. Don’t trouble yourselves with doctrine and right and wrong. Just love. Love God and love each other. Boy, that sure sounds good. If that be the case, then why did God bother with 611 other commands? All He really needed was just two: love God and love each other.

But “love God” is broad, generic and vague. Just what does that mean? Without commands, how would Israel know about what day to worship? How would they know what kind of animal to offer to God? Why would they be warned about unclean and clean? Details and details about the tabernacle, down to the color of the curtains and the exact number of rings holding them up. Just love God. Build a Teepee. Build a hut. Build an apartment complex. The ark of the covenant, details about the size, what went in it and how it was to be transported. David found out the hard way that putting the ark on a wagon was wrong. But, just love God.

Do you see, it was God who gave the 613 Old Testament commands. They were necessary to accomplish what He wanted. Without those commands, loving God becomes just a feeling. It warps into an emotion. But with the commands, reverence, obedience, respect and authority are demonstrated.

The same Jesus that tells us that the greatest command is to love God, also said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Just two commands or what about forgiving seventy times seven? Just two commands or go the second mile? One might say, “If you love your neighbor you will do that.” Really? Why? Why not give your neighbor your house? Why not give your children to your neighbor? Without guidelines, instructions or commands, what does loving my neighbor look like? It looks like each person doing whatever they feel like doing.

Then we find in Acts 2, the very first Christians abiding in the apostles doctrine. Why? If only two commands matter, what is there to abide in? And, tied to the great commission, Jesus told the apostles to teach disciples all that I have commanded you. Well, if it’s only love God and love each other, that’s pretty easy.

Then, why are there all those letters to the churches in the N.T.? Paul told the Corinthians that the things he wrote were the Lord’s commandments (14:37). Instructions about Lord’s Supper. Regulations about spiritual gifts. Words about marriage, sexuality and divorce. These were all part of God’s commands

So, maybe there’s more to all of this than just love God and love your neighbor.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, we need to be good Bible students. The Bereans searched and discovered what was right and wrong. We hear sweet sounding messages and like a gullible fish, we swallow the hook without thinking things through. Wolves have a way into the flock because the sheep do not recognize them. It’s time to put the thinking caps on and stop being spoon fed by preachers, myself included. Get those Bibles opened up and take some deep look inside.

Second, loving God is essential. A person won’t do the rest of the Bible if he is not motivated by God’s love for him and his love for God. However, loving God doesn’t mean the rest doesn’t matter.

Third, the basis of fellowship, first with God and then with each other is wrapped around walking in the light, as John wrote in his first letter. Walking is not a feeling. It’s a choice, a direction, a pattern one takes. Love is demonstrated by actions. One cannot be right with God and wrong with the Bible. Without God’s word, we don’t have a clue. We don’t know what God wants. We don’t know what God is like. We don’t know what to do. You can get three fat guys on a Sunday morning who spray paint G-O-D on their bellies. I’m certain they love God. Is that what the Lord wants? Without instructions, there is no way to know. That’s where the religious community has shifted to decades ago. Dare anyone say that they are doing something outside of the Bible, the response will be, “We love God. Stop judging.” Is that where we are headed?

Truth and love are not cosmic enemies fighting each other. They are connected. They need each other. We need both. Truth without love leads to judgmental hatred. Love without truth leads to lawlessness. In the judgment picture in Matthew 7, the people were busy casting out demons, doing miracles and all sorts of wonderful things in the name of the Lord. Jesus said, “I never knew you.” He further added, “depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Lawful—that comes from following the law.

Good stuff to think about and chew on for a while…

Roger

Jump Start # 2676

Matthew 22:37 “And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

I had a hymn stuck in my mind the other day. It’s interesting because I don’t remember singing that hymn in a long time. But it is one of things that just stays with you throughout the day. That’s one of the wonderful benefits of hymns and singing. “Near to the heart of God,” is the tune and expression that just kept rolling through my mind.

Things that are near and dear to us are close to our hearts.

Our families ought to be that way. We’d fight a bear for the sake of our families. We love them and we love being around them. I like the story of a lady who was looking for a seat on an airplane. When she saw an empty seat she’d ask the person next to it if they had any grandchildren. If they said, ‘yes,’ she kept going down the row. Finally, she found an empty seat and the person next to it didn’t have any grandchildren. She plopped her self down, took out her wallet and proceeded to show the person next to her each and every one of her grandchildren and all that they were doing. Love our families. We pray for them. We fuss over them. We want them to do right.

Our church ought to be this way. We are not strangers who happen to sit near each other every week. There is a bond and a love between us. We are fellow soldiers in the battle for right. We are fellow worshippers who love the Lord. We are in a fellow-ship together. The church is very much like a family. Some days you’d like to trade some away like they do in sports. We can annoy each other and some days irritate each other and even push the right buttons that can get us upset, just like at home, but these are our people. We love them. They encourage us, remind us, teach us, and help us. Where would we be without those wonderful people. They are near to our hearts.

God’s word is near to our hearts. For a moment, just think how many years you have poured over God’s word. And, just about each time you find little jewels and discoveries that you have never seen before. That Word has changed you and shaped you into a better person. It has lifted you up when you were worried, fearful and unsure. It has kicked you in the pants when you were sitting too close to the Devil. It’s challenged you, helped you and more than anything else, it has opened your eyes to your loving Savior. Death no longer scares you. The future has some certainty to it. And, this is because of what you have seen and learned through the Scriptures. You have a favorite passage. There is a story behind that and that is rich and meaningful to you.

The Lord is near to our hearts. The Lord, more than anyone or anything, has been there for us. He has blessed us, even when we forgot to thank Him. He has heard our prayers. He has seen our tears. He has walked with us through trials and tough times. He has forgiven you. His promises are dear to us. A day, often an hour, never passes without us giving some thought to the Lord. He’s been good to us is the absolute truth.

That hymn, ‘Near to the heart of God,’ is about finding that place, as the hymn states, of quiet rest, comfort sweet, and full release, where we can be close to God. And, this place isn’t necessarily a church building, and often, the church building is so full of people and noise and activity that it’s hard to find quiet, peace and rest. This place may be, as the Lord said, a closet, where we shut the world out and invite God in. It may be sitting on your back porch, listening to the morning song birds and just thinking about the Lord’s grace and love. It may be when we are taking a daily walk. The thoughts turn from our day and our schedules to the amazing God who loves us.

James said, “draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.” Near. Near to God’s heart. And, when we really focus upon those thoughts we find what really matters. Humble love, like a child or grandchild is what the Lord loves. I have seen this with my grandchildren. When they come, it’s not what new toys we have, but spending time with them. Taking a walk in the woods, picking up acorns, racing each other down a hill, sitting on the sidewalk and looking at a caterpillar. The sweet, innocent, pure love of a child that wants nothing more than to be near one that they love. That’s what God is after.

You and I get impressed with things that does not impress God. Got an old car that you restored? Get a few guys together and they can spend hours just looking at that car and talking car stuff. That’s like toys to God. He’d rather spend time with you than that.

Love sports? I do. I can talk about those Dodgers all day long. That doesn’t do much for the Lord. He’s not into baseball. He’s into you.

How about vacations? We love them. We love to talk about them. We love to show pictures of where we have been. For God it doesn’t mean that much. He made all beauty of the earth. He’s more interested in you. He invites you into the most intimate and sacred place you can ever be. More important than Ft. Knox, the Oval Office, Buckingham Palace, or the top secret meetings held across the world. God invites you to His heart. Near to the heart of God. Near to His heart. And, this place isn’t reserved for a select few. One doesn’t have to buy a ticket, nor stand in line, nor be limited to just a few brief moments. You can be near to God’s heart everyday. You can spend time with the most Holy as often as you want. He is never too busy for you. You are never too common or unimportant to Him.

Near to the heart of God…I envision just sitting down beside God. What a wonderful, wonderful blessing that is.

Near to the heart of God—you can find yourself there, if you choose.

Roger