Mark 12:29-31 – “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Concerning a well know Brother who passed away and then some dark secrets became public, that is why we keep our eyes on the Lord. It was also hard for my wife and I. I did feel disappointment, but really, the first and strongest thing I felt was hurt and sorrow for him and his family. We can be sure that this weighed heavily on him. I’m sure it was a struggle that he just never found the victory over. It must have burned him within. It’s so true that we are all weak. Sometimes we know how weak we are, and other times we don’t know.
Just today I was talking to the Lord about the two greatest commandments of love. Mark 12:29-31 and Matthew 22:37-40. Mark states that these are the highest commandments given. The highest commandments! Since they are the most important we should more often be hearing messages about this. These are the most important commandments that Jesus gave us. Matthew says that everything that is recorded in the Old Testament Law and the Old Testament prophets hangs on, is based in, and is contained in these two commandments. Also all the New Testament commands and guides are based on love. Does one steal? They would not if they loved as God loves and as we should. The same is true for anger issues, if we understand and strive for His love, and not any other “love.” Remember, that Jesus said all the commandments hang on love. So even sexual immorality hangs on love. Sexual immorality comes from wanting to satisfy self. The world today, and even pastors, teachers and Christian counselors want to help people by acquiescing and counseling with the world’s teachings instead of holding high and accepting this basic and most important truth from the Word. We all need to love God more than we do. We need to love God and each other as He loves us. (Matthew 5:48)
We all think that the throne of God is, in our lives, much higher than any other throne. We firmly believe that God is our treasure beyond all other treasures. Yet, too often, God has a rival and that rival is none other than ourselves. Now people have achieved different levels of loving God and honoring Him above all else. Perhaps some have reached that level, but really has anyone truly reached that level. If we love God more that ourselves, more than all desires, all addictions, and more than unhealthy habits, then natural reactions would be torn down and cast aside so that our actions would, in all ways, be pleasing to God. And for all of us, if it’s not one thing, it is another.
And please we must quit saying we are only human. At least those who belong to Jesus. Doesn’t 2 Corinthians 5:17 state “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Since we believe the Word of God as the Word of God then we should believe it before anything else, including what can come to our own minds. (2 Corinthians 10:5) We are no longer merely human flesh, for those in who have faith in Jesus, God the Holy Spirit has come to live within us and seals us as God’s children as stated in Ephesians 1:13. Since God is within us we are not merely flesh, but flesh and God within us. Jesus was one hundred percent both God and flesh. We are one hundred percent human but with God within us. With God within, we are not “only human.” How great is God and His love for us.
The beloved and dear brother who erred loved the Lord dearly. He was a great man of God and I still cherish his teachings. His error does not erase the Truth he taught. If a man tells another man that murder is a sin, even if that man should commit murder the truth of what he said still stands. He just did not live up to it. In reality, do any of us live perfectly? Can any of us say that? He was not perfect. He knew his sins. He likely agonized over them, yet that was his weakness. It was bad. What is worse is that he was putting his natural desires higher than how much he wanted to honor God. And he definitely wanted to honor God. And that is what we all do in one way or another, whether we want to believe that or not. Even anger is true of this and also our unhealthy eating habits. Both of these could be used by people in the world to judge us (even some sitting next to us in the aisles of our churches). Their judgement does not risk our salvation, but it does harm how much they will believe when we share the Lord with them. I know that too often, while I have cried out to God that I place Him on the highest throne, I have been, at the same time, consciously and unconsciously, making choices that place my wants and desires perilously close, or, horribly, even to the level of His throne. God forgive us! God forgive me! And…He does! How amazing is our God!
I believe the brother who erred is in Heaven with our Lord who loves Him. After all, the Lord knows all of our attitudes and sins much better than we do. I feel bad for his family. And for his ministry partners. He let them down. I feel bad for them. But I believe that this brother felt worse about all this than we do. He couldn’t help himself. I hurt for how he must have hurt and for the hurt he left behind him. Yet I remember that when I write about him I write a lowercase “him.” When I write about the Lord, I write uppercase “Him.” There’s the difference. About ourselves and all others, we do well if we remember that. And always praise the Lord that He judges from His just love. Praise God! Thank you Jesus!
John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
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, Oh 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.