For Our Neighbors: Inseparable Loves



Today, churches like ours are known for what they're against, instead of what we're for.  That's not all bad, because we need to give a prophetic witness to our culture about sin.  But we're supposed to be Christ's physical presence in the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  That means we should reflect Jesus' character.  When I think of Jesus, I think of him as one who was for people, who loved them as they were.

Sadly, the kind of people who were attracted to Jesus are repulsed by us.  That suggests we're not reflecting Jesus the way we ought.  We need to explore what he would want us to be known for.

A great way to start that would be to see what Jesus emphasized.  Luke 10:25-28 says that one day, an expert in the law stood to test Jesus.  He asked him, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  A critically important question.  When Jesus asked him what he thought, he quoted two scripture passages: Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  Jesus commended him and said that he got it!

Deuteronomy 6:5 is part of the Jewish Shema, a passage faithful Jews recited every day.  It said that they were to love God with all their beings.  The beginning of inheriting eternal life is to love God with all we are.

Leviticus 19:18 is in a part of the law that instructs Jews in how they were treat others.  They were to love their neighbors as themselves.  

Jesus bound these commands together.  One completes the other.  God wants us to show our love for him by loving the people around us.

The beginning of becoming known for what we're for is to love God with all our beings, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  As John said in 1 John 4:19-21, those who say they love God and hate the people around them are liars.  That's because love for God leads to love for neighbors.

God calls us to love him passionately and to show our love for him by loving the people around us.  These loves are inseparable.  When we practice them, the people around us will learn that God loves them, and so do we!

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