In Matthew 22:37-40, when Jesus was asked, which are the two greatest commandments, he replied, “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a
second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these
two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Love God with all you've got and love your neighbor as you love yourself.
It's so simple, but it's not easy, especially as we grow to understand
the intricacies and variety of expressions of how God's love is
displayed, like speaking truth in love, or whom the Lord loves He
disciplines and deals with like sons... Still, we get the basics. God
loved the world so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to save and not
condemn us. (John 3:16-17) God
is still sending His sons and daughters into the world for the same
purpose—to see all rescued by the power of Christ's love.
Jesus' love is the reason we're free. Love is what caused us to change.
Love is the only thing that will unify us and keep us unified, even
when we disagree. The Apostle Peter instructed us, "Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." Even though sin is present, it doesn't have to divide or destroy us if we can learn to love. Love is the identifying mark of Christians, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples if you love one another." (John 13:35) Community is the place where God's love in our hearts is displayed for the benefit of all. We hope to see you this Sunday! stop by if you can.
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