Saturday, July 31, 2010

Love Your Neighbor

“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you Light.” (Ephesians 5:14) Earlier this week I was thinking and praying about (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus said: “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.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” As I was contemplating this verse and its meaning praying to God for direction the Holy Spirit said: “To love the Lord is to believe in Me Jesus Christ and to trust in Me alone for salvation, to love your neighbor is to tell them there is salvation alone in Jesus Christ.” I have to tell you this message and the understanding that it brought completely floored me, it made total since. It brought all new meaning to the statement: “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” You see everything in the Bible told of Jesus Christ, all the prophets leading back to Moses told of the coming of the Savior the one who would save the world. The Bible says: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) You can’t love God and not trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord! I am a sinner, I have broken God’s laws the Bible says that sin is breaking God’s law (1 John 3:4). “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23) God loves us, he presented Jesus the sinless Lamb of God as the sacrifice for our sin. People are made right with God when you believe and trust that Jesus sacrificed himself in place for your sins. So love Jesus Christ today and trust Him as your savior.

The last thing Christ said before he ascended into heaven was a command. Not a wish list, not a do this if you feel like it, but a command. He said: “Go into all the world and preach the Good news to everyone.” (Mark 16:15) So if you are saved by Jesus Christ and you love him, love other people by telling them that there is salvation from their sins. Tell People about Jesus Christ. Tell them what he has done for you and the love you have for Him. Tell them before it is too late; “each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) If you know how to escape punishment and you don’t tell other people how unloving is that? You might say I’m too shy or scared; I can promise you know one is shyer than me! I can attest since I’ve begun witnessing for Christ and loving people by telling them the good news, I have never been so liberated. Read your Bible nothing can give you more confidence than knowing the word of God but even if you don’t know God’s word you know that you love the Lord and you know what He has done for you so tell people about that. And you’re not alone Jesus promised to go with us, He said: “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus said: “If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15) So follow his command, go out and spread the good news, love somebody and tell them about Jesus.