love in action
Posted by Emily Diehl on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Under: Mark 12:30
The Message translation of this passage says "love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy."
When I'm obsessed with something, I put all of my energy into it. I spend all my time working on it, whether with my hands or with my mind. I sometimes forget to eat. I stay up at night thinking about it.
Imagine what it would be like to used all of our time and energy loving God. What would that be like?
As a disciple of Christ, I am a victim of falling asleep in the garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus has to shake my shoulders and say, "Are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
How do we love God with our strength and energy?
We devote our time to Him. We serve Him in everything, no matter how insignificant the act is.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23)."
We offer God our lives, and we obey the second greatest commandment, to love our neighbor as ourself. This is essential. If we miss this, we've missed the point, and Jesus will say to us:
"... I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me (Matthew 25)."
I strive to live up to Jesus' commands. I realize saying I love Him is nothng if I do not love my neighbor, and that loving my neighbor is nothng if I do not love Him. My prayer is that as we love God with "passion" and "intelligence," that we would put that love into action with all of our strength and energy.
When I'm obsessed with something, I put all of my energy into it. I spend all my time working on it, whether with my hands or with my mind. I sometimes forget to eat. I stay up at night thinking about it.
Imagine what it would be like to used all of our time and energy loving God. What would that be like?
As a disciple of Christ, I am a victim of falling asleep in the garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus has to shake my shoulders and say, "Are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
How do we love God with our strength and energy?
We devote our time to Him. We serve Him in everything, no matter how insignificant the act is.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23)."
We offer God our lives, and we obey the second greatest commandment, to love our neighbor as ourself. This is essential. If we miss this, we've missed the point, and Jesus will say to us:
"... I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me (Matthew 25)."
I strive to live up to Jesus' commands. I realize saying I love Him is nothng if I do not love my neighbor, and that loving my neighbor is nothng if I do not love Him. My prayer is that as we love God with "passion" and "intelligence," that we would put that love into action with all of our strength and energy.
In : Mark 12:30