Showing Love

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:34-40  (NIV)

How have you shown love recently?  Okay, this isn't a condemnation to anyone, but merely a reminder.  Jesus himself said that everything in the Bible and the words of God's prophets boils down to only two things:  love God, love each other.  We are called to love God with everything that we have in us.  And because we love God so much, we are supposed to love each other at least as much as we love ourself.

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  1 John 3:11 (NIV)

How far does this love go?  Pretty far!

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  1 John 3:16 (NIV)

How do we do this?  How do we actually love each other?  By acting in the right way.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESB)

I want everyone to take these words to heart.  Love God more than you love anyone or anything else!  And love each other by not being rude, not being arrogant or boastful, acting patient, not being irritable, and treating each other as we want to be treated.  Such is God-like love, and this is how God looks at us.