“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘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.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:36-40
Love. The two greatest commandments, the law, and the prophets all hang on this: love. That is a profound and amazing fact, that the Lord of the universe would make love so central and crucial to living life in His way that His law and the prophets depend upon it. Yet this love is one thing that, if we are honest with ourselves, we sometimes forget needs to be the driving force of all that we do.
From an early age I was introduced to the love and grace driven message of the gospel. However, as a student, I often struggled with the pressure of doing things the “right way (i.e. reading my Bible, praying, tithing, etc,).” While the Lord does ask that we seek Him and obey Him in these specific ways, being a “religious” person and following the check list of dos and don’ts was not at the heart of what Christ had called me to. Somewhere along the line I had missed the fact that this kind of faithful life could only be the fruit of a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Because I often missed this truth, the pressure to do things the “right way” at times morphed my experience on the journey of faith from being one of blessing to being one of burden and guilt.
This is not the way Christ intended us to live. This kind of religious allegiance will only bring you so far. The kind of life that the Lord intended for His people is the kind that hinges on love; specifically a love relationship with our Savior. A life lived any other way, no matter how “good,” will be empty of the kind of joy and power that Christ can bring, and will more than likely leave you exhausted and dry.
There is a song by Jason Gray that gets to this point. His lyrics cry out what I had been missing from my relationship with Jesus for so long. See if these words resonate with you:
It’s gotta be more like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It’s like I’m falling in love
Are you feeling exhausted by the work Christ has given you to do? Maybe you need to remember your first love. Are you feeling burdened, anxious, or guilty about doing things the “right way” in your faith? Listen to the Spirit, but perhaps your feelings are less about being convicted than about a lack of deep love in your life for Jesus.
In the verses from Matthew at the top of this blog, Jesus calls us to love God and love others. This all begins with the work of the Holy Spirit moving in our hearts to draw us to the Lord. My challenge for you this week is to allow time and space to sit with the Lord and ask His Spirit to aid you in loving Him more- this can only come from Him! When we are filled with this love, we are able to follow path that Christ has called us to journey down: one that loves God and loves others. And this path is traveled not in a way that is draining, exhausting, or guilt-inducing, but in a way that brings joy and fruit because it comes from a well-spring of deepest love; a spring who’s source is Christ.
