I was watching a christian TV show the other day and the lady said..."Love One Another is a command you know, not just friendly advice on how to live".
That really struck me.
You know, I've read scripture over and over, trying to read it in the correct contexts: political, cultural, geographical, understanding language usage, etc. But I never thought about grammar and how it affects what is being said. Sometimes, when verses are so familiar they lose their meaning. They are comfortable and worn, and come from a loving, merciful God. Sometimes I miss what He is saying...
Love one another.
Peace be with you.
Whatever you do to the least of your brethren, you do unto me.
You see what I'm trying to say.
He is like the Nike slogan..."JUST DO IT".
Long ago, when I heard that "love is a decision, not just an emotion". That struck me too. And it explained about when love is not enough. That sometimes, there has to be more...trust, honesty, perseverance, tolerance. Love can be the underlying bond to hold people together, but sometimes there must be more. "Love" as a verb is a lot more powerful than "love" as a feeling.
Karla Holmoka, hideous murderess here in Canada, has just had a baby. I long to hate her. What she did infuriates me. And now she has a baby!!! That can't be right. But I am called to love her (thank goodness not to like her). I wise friend told me to pray for her. That I won't be able to pray for her and hate her at the same time. It may make it a bit easier to follow that command.
God is telling me things - not offering words of wisdom, not advising, not pondering or musing. Lately I feel that I need to look at the bible as more of an instruction manual - maybe I have dwelt on the histories and stories and wonder of it all too much.
Love One Another as I have loved (LOVE) you.
Happy Valentine's Day bloggysphere.
Sandy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Absolutely! The #1 reason God left us the Bible was to give us a manual to live our lives by. I love history, but I've never read anything in history that told me how to walk out my faith, day by day. Only the Bible can do that. And it does. oxxoxo
The perfect post for Valentine's Day, Sandy. Beautifully stated and something we should never forget.
Sandy, in reference to your comment at my site, here's the link to the original post I wrote, back in June or so: http://inthemidstofit.blogspot.com/2006/07/too-much-to-bear-by-myself.html
I think I addressed it more recently, but only briefly, so this other link is a better one. The Cliffs Note version is that the verse tells us that God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear--it doesn't have anything to do with burdens.
Thank you for your sweet comment; I hope this helps! :)
Post a Comment