Love, the Greatest of These

What have you done for love?  That's the question that seems most important when it comes to our Christian walk.  When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)   He also said in Matthew 15:13  There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.   I am reading a book called Imagine Heaven by John Burke.  In this book Mr. Burke explores "near death experiences"  and lines them up against the Bible's portrait of Heaven.  One of the commonalities from people who have experienced death and been revived is the question, ""What have you done for love's sake?"  Not only do they experience the greatest feelings of  being loved and accepted when in the presence of Jesus, they are pointed to this question. 

This has so impressed me, so spoken to my heart, that I want to do everything for the sake of love...God's love.  My words, born out of love for others, my actions demonstrating my love for God.  I can't tell you how much this has touched my heart and increased my desire for a "love walk" and for fruitfulness in all I do.  It's also helping me let go of a lot of nonsense....letting go of the small stuff that is so unimportant to this life and the next.  I still have a ways to go in this, but I feel like I've had a giant push forward on my journey with the Lord. 

1 Corinthians 13:13  Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.   If this is Biblical truth (and we know it is), then how can we not want to walk in love every day of our lives.  It's what we will take with us to heaven, to meet our Savior face to face for the first time.  Big things, small things...all done in love.  We are not going to be asked if we preached the best sermon, amassed the most stuff, gave everything we had away...but how did we love.

I am still in awe of this, and what it has meant to my heart, and what it is working out in my life.  And I am so grateful.

Lord, help us to love.  Help us to love You and love others as You love us.  Give us yielded hearts.  Thank You for this new awareness.   In Jesus most precious Name, Amen. 

In what small way can you show someone love today?