"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31
What we know as the Great Commandment came in response to a question. Jesus is good with answers. No one has been better! In fact, HE IS THE ANSWER!
In answering the question about the Great Commandment He also provides a valuable insight to the Great Commission.
Love is the deal! Love is the motive, the message and the means for winning converts and making disciples.
Love means commitment, love means courage, love means confronting, but love also means consistency.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." I Cor. 13:4-8
In an unstable and unpredictable world, people want to know what they can count on and WHO they can count on. The consistency of God's love manifest in the life of a believer is a powerful influence for evangelism.
Stability was one of the things I craved as a youngster when I discovered the safety of a small, loving Wesleyan Church. The consistent love and acceptance I experienced within that fellowship moved me from a believer to a disciple.
Love is constant because it acts it doesn't react.
Love is constant because it is rooted in righteousness.
Love is constant because it is grounded in a relationship with Jesus, the Rock of Ages.
As you try to reach your spiritually uncommitted friends, the consistency of your love will be a winning factor.
Will you make sure you are "rooted and grounded" in the love of God today?
