Deuteronomy 6:4-7 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
One of the stories my favorite non-biblical, but traditional stories passed down from early Christian historians is one about the Apostle John in his old age. In his later years the aged Apostle was weak and no longer had the endurance to stand and preach to the congregation. Of course the congregation still yearned to hear a word from the last surviving apostle of the Lord Jesus. So the Elders helped him to stand before the congregation and he told them “Love one another” and then he sat down. The congregation knew from Deuteronomy in the Old Testament and from the Gospels in the New Testament that Jesus had plainly taught that to love God with all that we are, and to love each other as one loves oneself, were the highest commands (Mark 12:31). In fact all of scripture hangs on these two commandments (Matthew 22:40). The congregation exploded with hearty agreement and were very blessed. Again the next week the elders helped the Apostle John to stand before them and again he said “Love one another.” The congregation was again blessed. However, in the following weeks, as the Apostle John was brought forward and kept repeating the same message, some in the congregation began to wonder if the Apostle’s mind had slipped. So some from the congregation approached the elders and asked if they might encourage the Apostle to tell them something different. So the Apostles came to John and told him that they agreed with the high calling of love, but would he now tell them another important message. Apostle John responded “When they have learned the lesson to love, I will say something else.”
Wow! The above story always reminds me, of course first considering scripture, that we are to first love God and then to love one another. This is the high command from God. Family this has become, in the thought of too many, to be almost a trite saying. Some tire of hearing the important message of love. Too many lead churches by following or creating new programs and systems. They err in thinking that is how a church will grow. Some forget that all things are based on the love of God and our love for one another. They forget that Jesus said that the world will know us by our love for one another (John 13:35). Responding to the love of God is our high calling. Serving Him is our high calling. Filled with love we love each other and that is our high calling. Some may think there is a more powerful word, or deeper sermons or teachings but God has clearly told us that love is the high calling. It is the love of God that saves us (John 3:16). Running churches with good business principles is fine, but love is the high calling. Learning from what other churches do and being led by God to do likewise, may be fine, but love is the high calling. Following rules is for babies and neophytes. Living from a God changed heart overflowing with His love is our high calling. A Holy Spirit heart begins with love an does not any of God’s laws (Galatians 5:22-23). Family and Friends love God more than life itself and love ourselves no more than we love each other. That is the high calling from God! Is that simple? Yes. God kept it simple in hopes that we would understand and live by it. However, still we struggle to remember and live fully in it. Beloved Family and Friends let us love God and love one another and let us teach our children that there is no higher calling. That it is the most important thing in life. In that way we most highly love and praise our God! Indeed, in love, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”