Luke – Doors Wide Open!
Who do you love? Why do you love them? Who has first place in your life of love? Who follows? Do you rank the amount of your love according to where people stand in your life? Aren’t you glad Jesus doesn’t love like that? The doors to the love of God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of His Holy Spirit are wide open. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves the sinner who is lost. Jesus loves the sinner who is now found. Jesus loves. His love took him to the cross where He voluntarily laid down His life for ours. ALL of us.
It is truth like the following passages that remind me that the Bible is all about God and His love for His creation. It is about me loving God back with all that is in me. It is about me loving all people like He loves me. Unconditionally. No rank and file. The doors are wide open! Jesus helps us to further our understanding of His love.
Luke 10, New Living Translation
The Most Important Commandment
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
HOLY PAUSE…
What drives us to “go and do the same”?
Who is our neighbor? Who is your neighbor?
Is it the love of God in us that drives us to show mercy to each other, to help and build each other up no matter who the other person is? Or do we help just to look good and feel good? Do we help without thinking about the ramifications?
We are getting closer to the love God has for us when we open the doors of our hearts, minds and souls to others and truly love them the way He loves us. Without conditional thinking.
Do you love like that? Or are their conditions to your love?
I wonder…is it easier to love God, who you cannot see than those you see, who are in your face or walking all around you?
The greater we realize the depth of the love God has for us the greater and more deeply we can love each other. Correlation.
How much do you think God loves you?Oh Lord,
We have only touched the surface of the depth of realizing the love you have for us. Take us deeper still into the ocean that is your love. Help us to love without conditions, without first thinking about who a person is or what they believe, or what they have done. Help us to just love like you love us. This is the beginning to peace, to knowing you more, to living well, like you said. Thank you for loving me the way your do.
In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.
Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
