Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first."
(Revelation 2:4 (NIV))
Have you become more focused on following the letter of what Jesus instructed us to do than the intent of these instructions?
Think about that question!
Isn't that what the Pharisees and the Sadducees did? Didn't they focus so much on the letter of the Law that they missed the very intent of the Law, the very heart of the Law? They focused on the traditions and rituals and completely missed that the Messiah they longed for was the very one whom they cast aside, whom they crucified!
They loved the legality of God's Word and completely missed the overarching theme of hope and love .
"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 22:37-40 (NIV))
They had replaced the love of God with legalism. They had replaced these two simple commands with hundreds of laws that they placed as a higher importance than the basic principles of the Word of God.
Have we done the same?
Have our churches done the same?
We are to love the sinner, but that does not mean that we are to accept the sin. Society has twisted this concept to mean that love is total acceptance. Is that what Jesus did? Did Jesus ever tell anyone that their favorite sin was okay in God's eyes? All that you have to do is look at His words to the woman caught in adultery.
"Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin.""
(John 8:10-11 (NIV))
At the same time, He turned the hearts of the woman's accusers to realize that they, too, were just as guilty of sin. He made them realize that they were also deserving of God's judgment.
When we forget that God calls us to love, we become hypocrites. We claim grace and mercy for ourselves, yet we cast others under the bus. To use a popular anachronism from a few years ago - WWJD - what would Jesus do? - would He cast someone away if they had a repentant heart? Would you want to be cast away?
Think about that in relation to those whom He called to follow Him - tax collectors, fishermen with tough lifestyles, Gentiles, women, and a prostitute. If they were willing to answer His call and follow Him, He did not cast them aside.
Our faith was shared down through the ages by people just like these, by people whose first love was defined by the two greatest commandments. Do these two commandments define your faith?
Are you still living your first love?
Copyright 1998 - 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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