DO YOU LOVE?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
#1 LOVE GOD, #2 LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR… LOVE IS NOT OPTIONAL IN CHRISTIANITY! EVERY LESSON JESUS TAUGHT HINGED ON LOVE…
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
I OWE, I OWE SO OFF TO WORK I GO: OWE NOTHING TO ANYONE EXCEPT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER… WE OWE A DEBT OF LOVE AND GRATITUDE.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
THERE IS A SONG OFTEN SANG: TO KNOW ME IS TO LOVE ME… TO KNOW DRUGS? TO KNOW ALCOHOL?
Maybe this isn’t true. Sometimes it is easier to love the strange little kid in Africa than to love that little neighbor boy that is obnoxious and very loud. It is easy to watch a television commercial about the baby elephant or the mistreated pet and not love those you know. I watch TV commercials about the ELDERLY and forgotten person in Israel or Haiti and not even think about the elderly neighbor or that poor forgotten old lady in the rest home. She has not had a visitor in a year. I called an old lady by her first name and she started crying! I asked her WHY? She said that is the first time I have heard my name in a long time! There was this old friend put in the rest home. They would bring her a tray of food, she was not able to feed herself. In an hour the young aid would come by and take the tray away. So sad!
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
LOVE MUST THRIVE IN THE HEART… ROOTED MEANS THERE WILL BE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S POWER. WILL WE BE LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE WATER? ROOTED AND GROUNDED… ROOTED AND GROUNDED SUSTAINS THROUGH DROUGHTS, STORMS, TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES AND GROW FRUIT! FAITHFUL, STATIONARY… ROOTS SUPPORT LIFE…
I am told a healthy plant has roots as deep as it is tall and as wide as it is tall. ROOTED IS FIXED.
Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
HAVE WE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IMPEDES AND HINDERS THE GROWTH OF LOVE? A POOR ROOT SYSTEM?
How about real busy? How about JEALOUSY? SELFISHNESS? MANIPULATION---CONTROL? ANGER? AGGRESSION? The love of entertainment and pleasure?
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? How shall we define neighbor?
The young lawyer has a question for Jesus. What must I do to INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? The young man was a lawyer, he knew the Jewish law--- LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF… The young man changes the question from WHAT MUST I DO? TO WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
IS THE PRIEST MY NEIGHBOR? SHOULD BE? HOW ABOUT THE LEVITE, IS HE THE NEIGHBOR? Do they practice passion/compassion? Do they really care? CAN THEY SEE THE GENUINE NEED OF OTHERS? God’s high call is to LOVE, CARE, TO HAVE MERCY? To recognize the hurting and afflicted. You have a duty and responsibility to LOVE and listen closely.
WHICH OF THESE 3 IS A LOVING NEIGHBOR? HOW DO WE TREAT OUR NEIGHBOR? GO DO THOU LIKEWISE? ARE WE SO OUT OF LOVE THAT WE COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE SUFFERINGS OF OTHERS? LOVE, WORSHIP, PRAISE AND SERVICE ALL RIDE ON ONE WORD… LOVE! Are we just too busy in daily menial chores that we forget people and God?
Luke 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
LET US CONCLUDE THIS LESSON BY DEFINING LOVE? ENGLISH HAS SOME DIFFERENT IDEAS…
*LOVE: an intense feeling of deep affection, pleasure, interest, like, enjoy, tender, warm, passion.
I love my mom. I love my dog. I love my car. I love my brother. I love my spouse. I love the USA. Every one of those uses the same word. Yet every example of the word love is different. This can be confusing?
JESUS HAS A DISCUSSION WITH PETER ABOUT LOVE… DO YOU LOVE ME? PETER IS FACING 3 OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO EVER CONSIDER. THE HEBREW AND GREEK LANGUAGES HAVE SEVERAL WORDS FOR LOVE. LET US LOOK DEEPER INTO THESE 3 QUESTIONS…
John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
EROS: sensual, please the senses, physical attraction, eye candy.
PHILEO, PHILIA: WARM, personal, brotherly love, EMOTIONAL CONNECTION…
AGAPEO, AGAPE: Love by the mind, by the will and the heart, intelligent, purposeful, planned, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, SELFLESS, THE SPIRITUAL HIGHEST FORM OF LOVE, enduring, lasting,
CONCLUSION: Jesus asked Peter, but please know Jesus will ask you, DO YOU LOVE ME? We must have a strong devotion and a heartfelt love for God’s son. This love must be rooted and grounded. PEOPLE DON’T STOP LOVING YOU TODAY! PEOPLE JUST FIND A NEW LOVE… GUARD YOUR LOVE! Peter will pay the ultimate gift of love. GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE… How do you treat your neighbor? WE NEED FERVENT, INTENSE LOVE IN ACTION. THE HEAT OF LOVE WILL ALWAYS CAUSE US TO REACH FARTHER…
Tell me you love me? Tell me you need me. I was visiting a couple in their 80’s. The wife was angry at the husband. She said it has been many years since he told me he loved me? I asked him if that was right. He said: YES, I TOLD HER 65 YEARS AGO I LOVED HER AT THE WEDDING. I TOLD HER IF I EVER CHANGED MY MIND I WOULD TELL HER. He said: SHE KNOWS I LOVE HER.
REMEMBER THE SONG FROM YESTERYEAR? What the world needs now is love sweet love. Love is the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love sweet love, NOT JUST FOR SOME BUT FOR EVERYONE…
Ask yourself: THE LEAST I LOVE ANOTHER, IS THE MOST I LOVE JESUS!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Check us out on YouTube.
*L--- LISTENING AND COMMUNICATION.
*O— OVER LOOK PETTY FAULTS AND FAILURES.
*V— VALUE OTHERS FOR WHO THEY ARE.
*E-- EXPRESS YOUR LOVE BY WORDS AND DEEDS.
