The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Sphere of Love"
Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ awaken each day to two great callings.
"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:35-39).
Of course, countless other callings and responsibilities beckon to us upon each new day. Matters of family, work, school, church, society, and life in general demand our attention. How, therefore, we do maintain focus on the two great commands, while attending ourselves to everything else? The answer lies in viewing the entirety of our lives as the sphere of love in which we practice and express devotion to our Lord and others. The Apostle John calls us to "love… in deed and in truth" (I John 3:18).
Which deeds? What truth? All of them. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31). We love God by how we act and relate in every arena of life. The husband who loves his wife to reflect Christ's devotion to the church may view commitment to her as the expression of his love for the Lord. The worker who performs his job as a means of honoring God by attitude, diligence, word, and action loves his Lord thereby. Believers who love fellow Christians love their Father as they bless their brothers and sisters. Respect for human authority reflects our honoring of God's divine authority and love for Him. In every aspect of life, the two great commands await us as we love our Lord in practical, hands-on, and heart devoted commitment. "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord" (Colossians 3:23).
Loving God serves as the most practical reality of our existence. Certainly, it will be so in eternity. It is so now. We love in deed and in truth by realizing the truth that all our deeds offer the sublime possibility of fulfilling the primary callings of our existence, namely, to love God and to love people. Yes, heart, mind, hands, and feet all serve as the holy instruments whereby we "walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and given Himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor" (Ephesian 5:2).
"If ye love Me, keep My commandments."
(John 14:15)
Weekly Memory Verse
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised.
(Hebrews 10:23)
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