One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” -Matthew 22:35-40 (NASB)

In 1967, the Beatles released the famous soon-to-be-famous song “All You Need Is Love.” The song was specifically written to be crystal clear in its meaning, and leaving nothing to misinterpretation.

It also sums up what believers are called to do every day: love God with every fiber of your being, and love others as yourself.

Being human, we’re not perfect in our obedience to these commandments. But what I’ve learned is that the more I dedicate and lose myself in pursuing the first commandment (to love God with all my might), the easier it is to obey the second commandment (to love others as myself).

That’s exactly what Jesus did: He loved those considered undesirable and unworthy of society’s standards. He loved His enemies. He modeled for us how to love if our eyes are trained on the Father.

If we love like Jesus, God can work through us to heal and transform this ailing world. We will be overflowing conduits to achieve this purpose, with strength and grace we could never muster on our own. And to do it, His love is all you need.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. -Romans 13:8 (NASB)

In the verse above, Paul write to the Christians in Rome about how to fulfill the law, which alludes to Jesus’ teachings. In the Torah, there are the most famous Ten Commandments, but they are actually part of 613(!) in all, spread throughout the Old Testament.

Reading through all of them can be overwhelming, and we see in Scripture how God’s own chosen people break His laws over and over again. But with Jesus, He teaches that all of the law can be fulfilled by loving God and one another.

How so? Jesus cites one of the famous Ten Commandments: You shall not kill. Indeed, He says, it is not loving to take the life of another, but we also kill in another unloving way when we are resentful, hateful, or malicious to one another. Words maim, hurt, and kill.

At the end of the day, can we look back and say we loved one another as He loved us?

Father God, please show us how to live truthfully and lovingly toward others—no matter how they live—as Your Son showed us in His life.

Today’s video

The amazing nonprofit Bible Project has a great video about all the laws and commandments, and how Jesus says we fulfill all of them by loving others and God.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. -1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:27‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

One week before this writing, Hurricane Harvey was on its way to Texas’ Gulf Coast, and one week later, God’s sun shines on the aftermath: dark and light.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” is a quote of not-so-certain origin, but one that we’ve witnessed in action since Hurricane Harvey left wreckage, heartache, and death in its wake. There’s been looting and crimes, but also honest compassion and an outpouring of love and camaraderie.

People of all walks of life are seen worldwide in the media, helping one another with no expectation or want of something in return. For true believers, we can and should be the vessels through which God’s grace overflows to others. It is times like these where God can be seen and elevated.

There will always be hardship and tribulation and evil, but we can take heart, because Jesus has overcome this world (John 16:33), and is our bridge to an eternity with the Father. While in this world, we can walk the walk as agents of change…God’s hands and feet…in a world where depravity, idol worship of many forms, and outright rejection of God runs rampant.

Be the change. Walk the walk. Be His hands and feet. Help the afflicted and the oppressed. Be the vessel and instrument through which He dispenses His love and grace. Be a Christian without the quotation marks. Be the change God wants to see in this world.

But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. -Luke‬ ‭6:27-28‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

I had a hurting friend tearfully ask me, “what’s the limit to suffering?” And I truthfully told them that, with God working through them, the limit is more than they could endure on their own. I went on to add that if they kept enduring ungodly suffering, they would not last long.

Last week’s post was about being there for those who are hurting, those who hurt others, and the forsaken. We are to live and love as Jesus did, not stay aloof of people and situations others would consider unpleasant or painful.

That being said…

That being said…Jesus did not give to the point of self-destruction until the very end, which was intentional to save us all: the ultimate show of agape (sacrificial) love. While He walked the earth, He dealt with those hostile to Him, as well as ministering to those society rejected…and He did it with boundaries.

In a great article from Pastor John Piper’s “Desiring God” website, four great reminders help us to give as conduits for God, not ourselves:

1. Anchor your worth in God, not in what we’ve sacrificed
2. Draw your energy from God, not your own strength
3. Sacrifice yourself for God, for He is the motivation
4. Set boundaries with God’s help

Read the whole article, “Die to Yourself Without Losing Yourself.”

So yes, we can drive straight to the heart of darkness and endure valleys and storms and injustice…but as conduits for His grace, strength, and mercy. When we do that, He can carry us through anything and to the other side.

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” -Matthew 9:12-13 (NIV)

There’s no shortage of motivational messages in our social media feeds. They mostly seem innocent enough, but upon closer scrutiny, we can discern that they don’t always align with Scripture, nor the life Jesus modeled for us. For example:

“Leave dramatic people and their drama behind”

Jesus didn’t avoid the religious leaders who considered him a heretic. He didn’t stay out of the temple when people made it more of a marketplace than a house of worship. He didn’t shrink from prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, or other spurned subgroups of society.

No, Jesus drove straight into the thick of it. He dealt directly, honestly, and firmly with drama. He called it what it was, and loved every single one of the people he called out or helped. Likewise, we can drive straight into the drama we see, because God may want to use us as instruments of His grace to them when everyone else has ditched them.

“Surround yourself with people who laugh”

Laughter is very therapeutic, to be sure, but some use it as a coping mechanism to avoid or mask pain. And sometimes the ones who aren’t laughing are ones who could most use a listening and compassionate ear, but would never explicitly ask for it.

“Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t”

Only love those who we decide treat us right? Jesus loved everyone (Luke 6:32-33), and explicitly taught us to love our enemies. We can love and pray for them all (Luke 6:27-28).

“Live to be happy above all else”

This last one’s a doozy. Jesus told us we could expect hardship in life on earth (John 16:33). To walk the Christian walk is not an easy one, and is often a walk through arid valleys and torrential storms. And God can allow such trying people and times in our lives to sanctify us and bring us closer to Christlikeness with every step…and to bless others through us. He forms character and endurance in us through the hard times.

Sometimes when we chase happiness over the right thing to do, we and others suffer. And what we find when we walk in obedience is that happiness is the byproduct of a deeper-seated joy we have in Christ.

True motivation for true believers

For the One who suffered the worst for our sins and salvation, we whose hearts pursue His are drawn to difficulty and discomfort when our flesh wants to go the other way.

People who bring drama are broken, just like you and me. They might be broken in different ways, but also fall short. With proper boundaries in place and enforced, we can love through the drama while not letting it control or corrupt us.

Truly, each of us is responsible for our own behaviors and responses, but if we are to love as Jesus loves us, then we can reach out and love the unlovable. We can be the one person loving enough to stick around long enough to be a conduit for God’s love and mercy and compassion to them. We can live out the worship we would otherwise only sing about in praise.

With God in us and surrounding us, He motivates us to face the world head on with His love, not shrink from it.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. -1 John 4:8 (ESV)

Imagine a childhood without “I love you”

I grew up in a household where it was the cultural norm to not tell your children that you love them. In fact, my parents told me that verbal expression of love was what other people of other cultures did out of insecurity and weakness. My heart, though, yearned to hear it, and I irrationally believed I wasn’t loved since it wasn’t spoken to me. But as I would learn decades later, one size does not fit all.

My parents did love me, of course, but they communicated it in ways I was deaf to.

It wasn’t till after I was saved that I read Gary Chapman’s “The 5 Love Languages,” which explained that love can be expressed verbally, but in nonverbal ways as well…and that certain people “speak” certain love languages, and are best communicated to in those languages. When two people discover and connect to the other in their primary love language, love is successfully communicated and received.

Note: These languages apply not just any relationship, business or personal. Click the link above to also see related books for childraising, business, etc.

What are the five love languages?

1. Words of Affirmation: Expressing in words how you appreciate the other person.
2. Acts of Service: Doing things for another person.
3. Affection/Physical Touch: Physical expressions of love, like hugging, kissing, and intimacy.
4. Quality Time: Making and spending dedicated time with another person.
5. Gifts: Giving a thoughtful gift as an expression of your appreciation.

Which love languages do you speak?

From the list above, you can probably select your primary and secondary love languages in seconds. Based on my childhood, my obvious first choice is Words of Affirmation. Thinking about past hurts in relationships, and what you would instinctually do to express appreciation for another person, can also help you identify your love languages.

What love languages do others around you speak?

With the knowledge of these love languages, you can start to discern what others around you value most. Their love languages may not match yours, but genuinely making the effort to speak theirs can perform amazing healing works.

God is fluent in all of the love languages

You can see aspects of Christlikeness in all of these love languages, and He used all of them in His ministry. And God the Father expresses His love for us through His Word, and in the acts He’s done out of love for us.

And I don’t know about you, but the above list is convicting because it helps highlight where we may be falling short in showing Jesus’ love to those around us–and maybe even closest to us. The Lord knows I have plenty of work to do!

I pray that knowledge of these love languages are as revelatory to you as they were to me, and that this knowledge will be used through us–as God’s hands and feet–to show His love and healing work in our world, starting with those around us.

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4 (NASB)

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. -Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

In 1959, the song “Love Potion No. 9” talked about a man looking for love, having been a flop with women for years. He seeks the help of a gypsy, and her potion famously backfires as the man falls in love with everything and everyone around him.

What a strange and sad void that must be in one’s heart to want artificially induced love! But I can say that I’ve thought about such things myself before Jesus reigned in my heart. My heart was empty and lonely, like a bottomless pit.

My old self would’ve said that God could’ve just kept Adam and Eve obedient to him, never sinning. But what kind of love is that when there isn’t conscious choice? How much sweeter and meaningful love is when it’s purposely expressed!

God chooses to love us unconditionally. He could turn His back on us and doom us all, but He loves us instead…so much that He gave His only Son so that we could live with Him forever once we pass from this world.

We also have a choice to love God in all we say and do, and there is no potion necessary. He gives us free will to believe in and love Him, and free will to let His love flow through us so others might see Him in us. God’s love is so overwhelming, so fulfilling, that He promises He can do exceedingly greater than we could ever imagine. We just need to choose to love Him and believe in Him.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. -1 Corinthians 13:7 (ESV)

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. -John 17:16 (NIV)

In a world full of bad news, discouraging news, and hurtful people, this is where we believers can show we may be in the world, but we aren’t of it.

When people are hurtful or hateful to you, you have a choice to spread the infection of hate further, or stand up to it and face it with love. It’s not easy, but love is ultimately stronger than hate. It takes more strength to be loving, but it endures far better than hate, because it runs far deeper.

Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven for His disciples:

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. -John 17:14-16 (NIV)

Because we are set apart from this world, and sanctified by His Word, we can live and love above earthly circumstances, and love beyond them.

When you don’t have the strength or even will to love, ask God to give it to you. With God’s love and strength and joy in us, we can victoriously bear, believe, hope, endure, and power through situations and seasons we couldn’t survive alone. Because of His Good News, we can ask Him to flow through us to actively make good news and light in a very dark world.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. -Matthew 11:30 (NASB)

But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” -Matthew 14:30 (NASB)

When you have so many burdens of your own, you might think that the last thing you need is to try and help others with theirs. How could you possibly take on any more?

It’s true that we need to take care of ourselves before caring for others, because we can do even more to help others when we’re strong. But there are times when we step out and let God carry us when we help others, even when we don’t have the strength ourselves.

I’ve been learning by watching, as well as by doing, that the secret is all about Jesus and His yoke…what it really means to take it on. Right now, there are those who are grieving over loved ones, and one I know who lost another unborn child. We are to lean heavily on God in such tragic times…but at the same time, He calls us to serve others…to minister. How can we do it? The answer: We can’t, but He can.

When we take up the easy yoke and light burden that Jesus promises, we exchange it for the burden we’ve surrendered to Him. If we haven’t really surrendered our burdens to Him, then we’re still taking on far too much ourselves. When we truly surrender all to Him, and take on His yoke of selflessness and sacrificial love, He reveals Himself in His incredible strength and stability He channels through us to serve and uplift others.

I’ve seen this in agents who, despite bearing challenges that would crush anyone whose eyes aren’t fixed on God, tirelessly serve and minister to others. But the second we take our eyes off Him, and look at ourselves and our circumstances, we sink, much like Peter when he took his eyes off Jesus.

So, with our eyes on Jesus, we take on His easy yoke and light burden, because we no longer recognize the weight of our earthly burdens. And by doing that, we are walking with Jesus, to minister to others first. We are trusting that God will carry us through our earthly challenges as we honor and glorify Him through serving others in His name.

Today’s soundtrack

Casting Crowns’ “Love Them Like Jesus” says we don’t have to have all the answers, or even the words, to help others in pain, but to love them like Jesus, and to bring them to Him.

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. -Leviticus 19:34 (NIV)

In an earlier post, I touched on the November 2015 ISIS attacks in Paris, where over 100 were killed, and hundreds more wounded.

Of the suspects in the attack, one had a Syrian passport, and so many in the world went into a knee-jerk, human response of condemning all Syrians as terrorists, and wanting to close borders to Syrian refugees.

And yet, just months earlier, the world felt deep sympathy and compassion for Syrian refugees when a toddler washed up on the shores of Turkey.

And some professed Christians were not immune to these ebbs and flows of public opinion, which are largely steered by curated communication from media outlets.

Especially during trying times, we believers have the opportunity, privilege, and duty to show God’s love. His love is constant and not conditional on spiritual performance or merit. And as walking ambassadors of His love here on earth, we don’t have to get caught up in the world’s inconsistent positions on who is worthy, and who should be judged.

Let us never forget that we are not of this world, and we are passing through on our way to the next. And just as God’s people are often strangers in a strange land, as are we on this earth…and we are called to love as He loves us. Our work to do in the Great Commission is to make Him known to all the corners of the earth…and how can we do that without showing His love?