LUKE 10:25-28 – “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.””
THEME OF THE DAY: LIFE AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. God never intended life to be chaotic, confusing, and complex. He made us to be people of His own possession to live a life of holy simplicity.
Yet, all changed in the Garden of Eden. When our first parents disobeyed God and sin entered the human experience, that was when our lives became chaotic, confusing and complex. Praise God, though, the gospel of the Lord Jesus came and with His life, death, and resurrection, the ability to recover the holy simplicity in life was restored to those who believe. However, the simple life as a Christian seeking holy simplicity is not the easy life as a Christian seeking holy simplicity, but it can be maintained and deepen.
What is this life of holy simplicity? Today’s scripture – love. It is daily and throughout each day loving God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds. Closely and inseparably tied to loving God will be loving our neighbor which means all people. These commands are brief, clear, and quite simple to understand. Not simple to live but simple in their meaning and understanding. And that is the way life is supposed to be – simple love for God and people. Yes, impossible in this life but to be pursued in this life looking forward to the next life when such lives will be reality to the fullest extent and expression and throughout eternity. Until then we strive to live it under God’s power with daily zeal and intentionality. And here are two applications toward that end.
First, understand we exist to love God and people. Notice what I didn’t say – love yourself. Yes, I know Jesus said that the second commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39). Don’t mistake what that means. It doesn’t mean focusing on self. It means the care we take for ourselves. How we care, protect, and provide for ourselves is to be our treatment of all people. So, in understanding love to God and people, we grasp that self-interests give way to the interests of others – “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
The second application is we must be determined to live counter culturally. The world doesn’t love God; doesn’t want to love God and cannot love God. We, as those who long to love Him, are to demonstrate to the world the love of God through our love for God and people. This is why we are still here on earth; the mission of showing the world that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). See how the pursuit of the simple life – loving God, loving people – actually propels and directs on the mission God has called us to, reaching the lost with His Son’s gospel.
May the Lord help us to seek the holy simple life of love and not fall victim to sin’s chaos, confusion, and complexity robbing us of our joy in loving God and people.
PRAYER: Lord, I praise You for restoring to me the desire and ability to love You.
REFLECTION: Salvation is God giving us through new birth the desire and ability to love God and people.