The ancient people of God, the chosen people of God, were commanded to:
- Love God, Deuteronomy 6:5, 11:1, 30:6, Joshua 23:11
- Love their neighbor as themselves, Leviticus 19:18
- Love the strangers and aliens as themselves, Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:19
- Love good, Amos 5:15
- Love kindness, Micah 6:8
Jesus, besides reaffirming the above added:
- Love your enemies, Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-36
- “Love one another, as I have loved you,” John 15:12, 17, 1 Peter 2:17
The Apostles reaffirmed all the above and added:
- “Let all be done in love,” 1 Corinthians 16:14
- Speak truth in love, Ephesians 4:15
- Love like Jesus, Ephesians 5:2
- Love from a pure heart, 1 Timothy 1:5
- Pursue love, 2 Timothy 2:22
- Love your wife, husband, and children, Ephesians 5:25, 28, Titus 2;4
- Add love to your faith, 2 Peter 1:7
- “Keep yourselves in the love of God,” Jude 1:21 (which includes all the above and more)
What all these commandments assume is that we, you and I, 1. have a God-given capacity to love, 2. that we do not necessarily exercise this capacity, and 3. that in a large measure we will be judged, be held accountable for what we have done with our capacity to love.Have you ever given God thanks for your ability to love, to love extraordinarily, to love like God, like Jesus? It is hands down one of the greatest gifts God has blessed us with. Exercising that gift makes us more like him than anything else, “When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us” 1 John 4:16 (MSG).Wednesday is Valentine’s Day, it too reminds us of our capacity love (maybe we should close the divorce courts on the day celebrating love – just an idea). It reminds us that unleashing our love capabilities is beautiful, exciting, sweet, and feels incredibly right and good. And it and gets even better when the response is just as loving.Would you take a moment and read over the God’s love commandments, I listed above, one more time? Did you notice that they were exclusive and inclusive at the same time, challenging to us to excel in the exclusive love relationships of life - God, spouse, children, friends; while at the same time not neglecting God’s insistence to engage with all people, neighbors, enemies, foreigners, strangers with love that is as strong, kind, merciful, generous, and continuous as the love we have for ourselves and as the love of Jesus.Heavenly Father, God of love, help us, help me to grow in love, develop and unleash my capacity for love the way you command it, look for it, and enable it.To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans