Wednesday, January 26, 2005

but the greatest of these is love...

The longer I remain in ministry, the more people I meet, the more I study Scripture, the more I am convinced of the truth that Jesus revealed in his statement:
"'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 neighbr as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands."

I've been trying to let this truth penetrate my mind for some time and I'm convinced the longer I think about it, the more I realize that our love is truly the central ingredient of our faith/religion. As our love for God increases, our love for others increases, and our selfish love of self decreases. John had it right - "He must increase, I must decrease"

I read a quote by Scottish preacher, Alexander Whyte, that has brought further clarity to this passage and idea for me:
"It is out of self-love that all our other evil passions spring. The whole fall and ruin and misery of our present human nature lies in this, that in every human being self-love has taken, in addtion to its own place, the place of the love of God and of the love of man also. We naturally now love nothing and no one but ourselves."

How true this is, "we naturally now love nothing and no one but ourselves."

God, help me to love you and everyone else more than I love myself.
posted by Anonymous
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