TweetOne day someone asked Jesus about the most important thing. What was the most important commandment? Jesus responded, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” If you want to know what Christianity is all about, that’s it, right there. It’s all about love. Love God, love people. If you want to know how to measure your Christian journey, that’s where you begin, right there. How are you doing loving God? Is your heart expanding? Are you drawing closer to God, and do you love God more now than you ever have? Is your heart for people expanding?
Too often we measure our spiritual progress by the wrong standard. Some people measure their maturity by their spiritual activity. They view Christianity as a check list. I read my Bible. I prayed. I went to Church. Check. Check. Check. I’m doing good! Don’t get me wrong, I read my Bible, I pray and I go to Church. Those are necessary spiritual activities that I engage in. But, the question is why do we engage in those activities? The answer: To know God. The activities are not an end in themselves. The reason why we read our Bibles, pray and go to Church is so that we can draw near to God. They are good things, but they are not the measuring standard of our Christian maturity. If Joe reads his Bible this morning and goes home and beats his wife tonight, is Joe mature? NO!
Some people measure their spiritual progress by what they don’t do. They have a ‘don’t do list.’ And as long as they avoid the don’t do list, they feel good about their spiritual progress. This person says, “I didn’t swear. I didn’t drink. I didn’t smoke. I didn’t look at pornography. I didn’t hit anybody. Therefore, I’m doing well! I’m mature.” Again, don’t get me wrong, I think we ought to avoid many things in life that simply are not godly or profitable. But, avoiding these negative pitfalls is not the best measure of my maturity. I’m sure the Pharisees avoided most of these negative things, along with drinking, drugging, and sleeping around. Yet, Jesus said the tax collectors and the prostitutes were entering the kingdom of God before them. They were missing something! Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.” The Priest and the Levite, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, avoided these negative sins, I am sure, but they neglected the greater thing – they failed to love.
Some people measure their spiritual maturity by what they believe. If you believe the right things, then you are mature. Don’t get me wrong: Beliefs matter. But, if you believe the right things, but don’t love, that simply isn’t mature. James said that even the demons believe that there is but one God, and shutter, but it doesn’t help them. Their right beliefs don’t lead them to right living, and they certainly don’t love.
And some people measure spiritual maturity by power. I believe in power, as you know. But, I think someone can operate in spiritual power and not be mature. The Corinthians were operating in spiritual power. Paul said they had all the spiritual gifts operative in their midst (1 Cor 1:7), and he included miracles, healing, tongues and prophecy (1 Cor 12-14). But they were not mature because they didn’t love each other. Paul said, “If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to the flames, that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
The ultimate measure of spiritual maturity is love. Is your heart expanding? Do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Are you more loving today, than you were last year? Is God your first love in life? Do you treat people with dignity and respect? Love: That’s the standard by which we measure maturity.
Amen!
Hi Rob,
thanks for the reminder to love. I need God’s grace everyday to be able to live that action. I don’t know about you but there are some people that are just so hard to love. I am glad Jesus first loved us and shows us His example. When you look at a situation through the eyes of Jesus it helps change the prospective. I think of His words on the cross when He said “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”
How many times people can reject us or hold unforgiveness in their heart, and yet we must return that with love. We are commanded to love. I can only do that with Jesus in my heart and by being willing to obey His word. And prayer!!
I have a neighbour who was always grumpy with my husband and I, however I would always pray ‘Lord bless Him. Open his eyes to you Lord.’, as I travelled past his place to ours. Now 20 years on, with many interactions and effort to not react but be peaceable, (and praying for wisdom!), he has softened and the relationship is more gracious. Only God can change a heart. He doesn’t know Jesus but I hope he can see Jesus in me and he knows I believe in God.
There are so many hurting people around us and some days I got to say I am no different. I am so thankful I know Jesus and have His Spirit in me. We need to encourage one another and be His hands and feet and make the effort to give out in whatever way God gives the opportunity.
Bless you my friend.
You are doing a great job. I can see that clearly with the way you respond to people.
with love in Jesus, Robyn.
Hi Robyn,
It is true. Sometimes it is difficult to love. Years ago, I discovered the power in Jesus admonition for us to bless those who curse us. Someone was spreading lies about me, the last thing I wanted to do was bless him. But, I obeyed. Day in, day out, week in, week out, I prayed for God to bless this one who cursed me. I discovered that God did what I could not do. He changed my heart. I began to sincerely desire this man’s best. Stay the course, friend! And thank you for all your kind and supportive words!
All God’s best,
Rob
Preach it Rob! Preach it!!!! Try explaining that to the people still in the cultic system I grew up in. But even in the evangelical church, sometimes we are so busy “doing the Lord’s work”, we often forget the Lord’s work is people. Are we so busy finding people to settle business with or preparing our lessons that a newcomer comes and goes in church with nobody noticing? Is someone hurting and nobody inquiring as to what they can do for that person? Are we so busy critiquing what’s going on in the church we totally forget to “encourage one another”? Hebrews 10:25
I so hope everyone reading your message will remember what is really important. Not that using the gifts we’ve been given are unimportant, perish the thought. But without out love, they’re of little use in building Christ’s kingdom. Thank you for the reminder Rob.
Dear Rob,
We have had this conversation many times but once more I would confess my struggle with the “two most important commandments” I love God with all the love I’m capable of, more than family or friends. I can’t bring His name to mind without choking back the tears of love and joy. My struggle comes with loving my “neighbor”. I have met some the best and most Christian people I have ever known in and out of the church but suddenly, out of the blue, I meet “Christians” who spew venom and vitriol at other Christians. How can we be effective with non-believers and seekers if we can’t get beyond our own differences? Why can’t we agree to disagree on doctrinal issues that shouldn’t be “deal breakers”? Don’t we all believe in the Trinity, that Christ was crucified to atone for our sins, died, was resurrected and sits at the right hand of God? What else matters? Isn’t everything else peripheal? Please guys, let’s stay on course and stick to the Gospel. Let’s, at least, try to be more like Christ and not the Pharisees.
With love,
Bo
Morning, Rob.
I found this quote from Mother Theresa (from an NIV study Bible), and thought you might enjoy it.
“Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of Himself. Ask and seek and your heart will grow big enough to receive Him and to keep Him as your own. Wherever God has put you, that is your vocation. It is not what we do but how much love we put in to it.”
Interesting, isn’t it?