Connecting Points

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Current Study: Advent

Today’s Topic:  Living Love

Scripture Reading:  Luke 11:42  “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

I would rather do simple things motivated by the love of God than great things tainted with even a hint of pride.

That statement was born in my mind this morning as I was reading a devotional from Brother Lawrence, a monk from the 17^th century who wrote the book Practicing the Presence of God. I was deeply challenged with his words when he wrote, We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.

When Jesus came to earth as the living expression of the love of God, a stark contrast was created. The culture into which Jesus was born was one of great pride, manifesting itself in mandated obedience to the law that had been translated and twisted to accomplish self-righteousness. Jesus entered this world of self-centered sin with the liberating language of love. The contrast created conflict ending in crucifixion

It was in the midst of a meal that the contrast created such conflict that the religious leaders of the day began to actively pursue the elimination of the Messenger whose words threatened their prideful positions and possessions. You can read the complete story in Luke chapter 11.

In His response to the legalistic position of the Pharisees, Jesus declared six things that He saw as woeful behavior in them. It is the very first one that to me is most significant, because it expresses the contrast that caused the conflict. The Pharisees were so intent on obedience to even the tiniest aspect of the law that they completely ignored love to people based on the love of God.

The Pharisees were so concerned with their image that they even placed a tenth of their garden herbs in the offering at the temple. Yet when it came to helping the needy and the hurting, they separated themselves from such activity for fear that they would somehow become ceremonially unclean for worship. Their image had become more important to them than the expression of the love of God.

Jesus addressed this issue first in His response to them. He told them that the love of God and the loving treatment of people were to be most evident in their lives. Obedience to even the simplest laws of God was important and not to be neglected, but obedience was never to overshadow love. Obedience is never an end in itself. In fact, the self-righteousness and image-consciousness attached to obedience not motivated by love is woeful in the eyes of God.

Love is to be the reason we live and the motivation for all activity. Legalism chooses what is beneficial to self. Love chooses only what is beneficial to others. Maybe this would be a good time to review what the Bible says about a lifestyle of love.

• Love is more important than miraculous spiritual gifts – If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 
• Love is more important than knowledge and faith – If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 
• Love is more important than sacrificial giving – If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
• Love is to expressed in every aspect of our personality, lifestyle, and relationships –
  • Love is patient and kind.
  • Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 
    or rude.
  • Love does not demand its own way.
  • Love is not irritable
  • Love keeps no record of being wronged.
  • Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 
  • Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

Many times I think we fall into the trap of the Pharisees, somehow hoping our actions will bring credibility and value to our lives. God’s love alone can do that. His love qualified us. No amount of obedience can improve our standing before God. We have already been given full rights of inheritance as the children of God. The love of God has conquered the need for self-affirmation. As a result, let the love of God motivate all of your actions. True love always benefits others. We can live that way now because we’ve already received all the benefits of God’s love.

Pastor John