Dr. Grant Scarborough
“Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Well – absolutely. I believe God left heaven for us. He was born to a young girl in poverty in a barn for us. He lived for 33 years on earth for us. He was loved, hated, embraced, persecuted and then sentenced to death for us. He then was crucified – blood flowed down, body broken, thorns on his head, separated from God – for us. He died and three days later was raised from the dead – for – you know who – you and me.
The God who made heaven and earth, sent his Son into this world, because He loved us greatly. Scripture says that while we were enemies, he did this – He loved us. He set his affection upon us and said: “You are mine. You are a son and daughter of the King.” Hallelujah! Bless His name. He loved you not because you had something to offer, like you could add something to God. We had nothing to offer. It was His kindness and goodness that made Him love you. All you can do is praise and thank Him. Who does not desire to be Great Commandment Christians? I will love a God like that. I would love a God that would set his kindness upon me when I did not deserve it at all. Lord help me to love you with all my heart, soul, and mind. Amen.
Scripture says this is the great and first commandment. Close Bible and move on. Do not, I warn you – do not keep reading. Because I did, therefore I am writing. Please do not keep reading this paper either.
I warned you.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Awe man, here we go. Listen – we all love a good story of a great God loving us when we deserved nothing. It is like a great fairy tale. We now get to live in the castle with the great wait staff serving us forever. This is what I signed up for. I signed up for the greatest commandment Christianity, not the second. I desire to be loved by God – just as I am. But don’t expect me to change one bit. I just want to be loved and I can love all day back – in my house, away from other people that bother me.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
But if I have to love someone else as myself, everything changes. I like to be loved the way God loved me. He pursued me. He chased after me. He sacrificed for me. He died for me. He loved me. He desires to be in a relationship with me. He means good for me. He intercedes for me. Please love me this way. Just do not ask me to love this way in return.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love this way in return. You have been greatly loved – Love greatly.
Corinthians has been my book this year so far. Paul displays this great love over and over again – this sacrificial, pursuing, inconvenient love. Paul talked about eating meat sacrificed to idols. No problem for Paul. For Paul – it was not a sin. But other people felt it might be. Does Paul try sit back and lecture them about meat while eating a ribeye? “If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat again, lest I make my brother stumble.” Paul completely cuts something out of his life that he enjoys – for his brother.
Paul becomes all things to all people. He affiliates with others. “For though I am free, I make myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them” He becomes a Jew to the Jew; he lives as if under the law to win those under the law; he lives as one outside of the law to win those; to the weak – he becomes weak. “He does it all for the sake of the gospel.” Can you imagine a self help book which states to stop being yourself and take on life as someone else with their problems and their issues. Paul does more than imagines this book – he wrote it.
There are many more passages, but let me give you one more – the most convicting to me. Paul talks about Christians suing one another. He is disgusted that these Christians would take their case to court instead of settling them in the church. How does that look to the outside world. Does this make Christianity attractive to the outside world. He then states:
Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
Paul, you cannot be serious. This is not about me suffering wrong – this is about me being right. This is about me getting what I deserve. I cannot let someone else win. I cannot lose. I cannot have my pride suffered for a brother. Paul says “suffer wrongly” for you brother. Be defrauded for your brother. Let him win. Let him be victorious.
Loving people is difficult and even more so to love them the way Jesus loved you. To love them enough to give up something you love so that their conscience will be clean. To love them enough to become weak with them. And to love them enough to suffer wrong from them.
This year, make it your goal to love people inconveniently – the way Jesus loved you. Go out of the way for others. Give of your time, energy, and strength to be Christ to them, because this is the second commandment. I am convinced that if we do not know and live this second commandment, we truly do not understand and live out the first.
Dear friend, Christ has graciously loved you – Now go and love!