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| The Four Corners...
Love" INTRODUCTION (Read I Cor. 13) I Corinthians 13 gives a person pause the way that stunning beauty or sweet music does. It is a work of art. At once, it is both uplifting and challenging. It is uplifting in that it confirms the presence of love in our hearts. In reading it, you are reminded of a time when you forgave, or made a kind remark, and you feel good about that. It is challenging in that it shows us that we still have a long way to go before we love as fully and consistently as we should. The question I want to consider today is "How?"
How can you and I become more patient, kind and forgiving? How can we
escape envy, pride and boastfulness? My answer is, "Love God more." I believe that love for God spills over into love for man. So, the greater my love for God the greater my love for people. I get this idea from something Jesus said. A question was posed to him – "What is the greatest commandment?" He answered, "Love your neighbor as yourself," but that was part B of the answer. Part A was, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." That verse is found three or four times in Scripture. Once it reads, "heart, soul and strength." Once it reads, "heart, soul and mind." And once it reads, "heart, soul, mind and strength." Just to be comprehensive, I'm going with the four-fold outline. And I want to give you four biblical examples of people who love God the way we all should. DAVID LOVED GOD WITH ALL HIS HEART David uniquely is known as a man after God's own heart. What sets him apart from, say, Saul who preceded him or Solomon who followed him, or others? David had an uncommon, passionate, heart-felt love for the Lord his God. This comes through in so many of the Psalms that we've had occasion to look at on Sundays recently. For example, Psa 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength. Psa 26:8 I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells. Psa 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. I admit that David's passion for God did not often enough translate into similar affection for his fellow man, but you can't say that about this next example. PAUL LOVED GOD WITH ALL HIS SOUL The Apostle Paul was a theological giant, but it was not enough for him to know about God. He strove to know God personally through Christ. He wrote to the Philippians, Phil 3:8 ...I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ... Phil 3:10 I want to know Christ... Phil 3:12 ...I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. This singular focus on loving God with all his soul produced in him a deep affection for people also. This is what he wrote in the first chapter of that same letter to the Philippians, Phil 1:3,4 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy... Phil 1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart... This is similar to what he wrote as the very last verse of I Corinthians, 1 Cor 16:24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Next comes the mind – to love God with all your mind. What does that mean? It means to give him your full attention. There is a woman in Luke's Gospel who is a great example of this. MARY, MARTHA'S SISTER, LOVED GOD WITH ALL HER MIND Jesus dropped in as a houseguest at the home of the two sisters of Lazarus. Martha was the worker bee in the family, but Mary was so enthralled by the Lord's presence she just sat and fixed her attention on him. This made her sister mad and Martha even complained to Jesus about it, but he sided with Mary, Luke 10:41,42 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better." I picture two people praying. The first is fretting over a long list of needs – people who are sick, missionaries who need support, etc. The second is prayerfully meditating on the person of Jesus, thanking him and loving him for who he is. This person is not unconcerned about those on the sick list or the missionaries, but his/her mind is totally engaged with the person of God. Which of the two are you? There is another woman who makes a good example of a God-lover. Her story is also in the Gospels. THE "SINFUL WOMAN" LOVED GOD WITH ALL HER STRENGTH The story is in Luke 7. At a Pharisee's house Jesus was reclining to eat, perhaps the way you might snack while lying down, watching TV. A notoriously sinful woman crept into the room. (How she even got in is a mystery.) She stood behind Jesus, wet his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, then poured out a vial of strongly scented incense on them. Jesus explained that this woman did this because she loved him so much. How is this an example of loving God with all your strength? It is a tangible, physical act of worship – not just an attitude of the heart, but an activity. The New Testament Greek word for "worship," PROSKUNEO, literally means "to kiss toward." It's like blowing a kiss. CONCLUSION It's been said about love that it is the only commodity which, the more you give away the more you have. I don't find this to always be true when it comes to loving people. Sometimes it can be draining. But it is always true when it comes to loving God. The more love you give to him the more, by far, is returned to you. So I advise you to get alone with God. Take your Bible along,
but leave your prayer list behind. Let the emotion of your heart become
stirred, and the focus of your soul and mind engaged. And, if nobody's
watching, blow a kiss and tell God that you love him. He will, in turn,
produce some of that I Corinthians 13 love in you. |