A DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT by Marilyn Bennett
Jesus said the most essential commandment we need to follow is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37).
Usually, we glance over the first command because we believe we already love God. However, we forget that we were enemies of God. The reason Bible tells us “to love our enemies” (Romans 12:20) is because at one time we were enemies of God. But even while enemies of God, God chose to love us (John 3:16-17).
The truth is we find it difficult to love God, talk to Him every day, or be committed to His will. How can we love God if we do not know God? Do we sit cross-legged and recite a mantra? While meditation can prove helpful to remove stress, lasting peace comes in a different way.
Jesus was a realist. He knew that believing in him would cause division (Luke 12:51). Yet, he told his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). God’s kind of love overcomes all obstacles. Love defined by the world is not the same as love defined by God. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13).
How incredible is our task to love God? Yet, God makes it possible. Only when we realize God knows us completely and loves us entirely, can we begin to love God.
From Moses encounter with God in Exodus 34:5-6 we learn about God’s character and from it we can learn the components of love according to God
Then the LORD came down from the cloud, stood there with him, and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”
These are the components of love according to God:
Compassion: Easy to say but not so easy to implement. The Hebrew word is ra-hum which is used to describe God who shows us favor we do not deserve rather than the punishment we do deserve, implying a forgiving relationship.
Gracious: This Hebrew word is han-nun and again is used only to describe God. This word pertains to being merciful to the needy and repentant (see Jonah 4:7).
Slow to anger: This Hebrew word a-rek translates as patient and long-suffering. The Atheists are wrong when they say God is vengeful (James 5:11). Jeremiah proclaimed the necessity of the wrath of God while acknowledging his long-suffering. The word for long-suffering in Jeremiah 15:15 is the same Hebrew word translated from Exodus 34:6 as “slow to anger.”
Abounding in love: The Hebrew word he-sed describes God’s steadfast love or lovingkindness: in redemption from enemies and troubles; in preservation of life from death; in quickening of spiritual life; in redemption from sin; and, in keeping the covenants with Abraham, Moses, Israel, and David (Psalm 90:14).
Faithfulness: The Hebrew word, met, includes reliability, trustworthiness, honesty, and integrity (Psalm 138:2).
Being compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfully reliable, this is God’s way of loving. This is the way we are called to love God and our neighbor. And God will, in His love, enable us to love others in the same way. Will you let him? Look at the list again. Which component do you need to pray about, asking God to strengthen your ability to love in that way?
