WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

It’s Sunday morning in America and in churches all across the land pre-christians have chosen to accept God’s gift of grace.  Kneeling beside these God-seekers at the altar some well intending brother or sister whispers in their ear, “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death.  God gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will be saved.  This is God’s gift to us, eternal life.  So if you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” This is all in accordance with God’s word. Then this “new Christian” will be “discipled” on how to become a “good Christian” with a list of “do’s”: do pray, do attend church, do study the Bible, do be water baptized, do follow church doctrine, do fast, do tithe, do serve in the church, etc., and a list of don’ts”: don’t commit fornication, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t dance, don’t cuss, don’t gamble, don’t watch movies, etc.  These lists will vary depending on the Christian denominational “flavor” involved; they may be formal statements or verbally transferred, but the point is the same. These lists become formulas for the new convert’s discipleship -- the way to live the Christian life. And when they don’t work -- when life gets tough, and it will -- they are told to try harder, pray more, study more, be more faithful, serve more, give more, etc., as if God is displeased and man’s self-righteous works will appease Him.

Laying aside the question of who actually chooses who at salvation, what is missing here is the main point. There is no mention of the most basic, most fundamental and certainly the most central theme of the whole bible: God wants to have an intimate relationship with man!  We have condensed the self declared God of love into a set of tenets, “do lists”, and “don’t lists” -- formulas for Christian living. Discipleship is a courtship between The God of Love and the object of His affection... Man, a love story in the making. We have missed what Christ declared as the Greatest Commandment, to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, which is impossible outside of intimate relationship. The heart that loves God will align itself with the heart of its Beloved: Out of this intimate relationship righteous works will flow empowered by love as we seek to more fully know and be a delight to the Great Lover of our Soul. To miss this, is to miss the whole enchilada! So, what’s love got to do with it? Everything…

“BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE”