The events of the past few months, in fact of the last few years, have really pointed out the divisions that exist between us. Divisions of race, gender, religion, politics, and sexual orientation I could go on and on.
In The Sermon on the Mount which, is in chapters 5-7, of Matthew, Jesus said that we should agree with our advisory.
Matthew 5:25-26 (NKJV)25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Later in this same sermon Jesus said that not only should you agree with your adversary, but that you should also love your enemy.
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
He was even more specific than that at another time. When was asked what was the greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV)37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 (NKJV)39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
What Jesus was saying is that we are to show love to everybody, friends, enemies, everybody, no matter who they are.
Galatians 3:26-29 (NKJV) 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Colossians 3:9-11 (NKJV) 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
What does love have to do with solving the problems that we have here in this country and in the world? I may be naive but, if we love each other then we can talk to each other, if we love each other we can admit that we all have problems, if we love each other we can agree to seek help to solve our problems. But if we are going to sustain that kind of love, we have to love like God loves.
1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV)7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
That scripture tells us that not only is love an attribute of God but love is what God is. That scripture says that if we are born of God, and once you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are born of God, we should, like God…... actually be love.
John 15:12-13 (NKJV)12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
1 John 3:16 (NKJV)16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
That doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other but it does mean that we should love each other enough to talk. That’s what you do when you agree with your adversary quickly. You have to talk to each other in order to start to agree.
What matters to God is our love for Him and our love for each other. Wealth, power and status count for nothing in the kingdom of God. When we truly love our neighbors, we do our part to make the world a better place, and we find our own fulfillment in life.
In The Sermon on the Mount which, is in chapters 5-7, of Matthew, Jesus said that we should agree with our advisory.
Matthew 5:25-26 (NKJV)25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Later in this same sermon Jesus said that not only should you agree with your adversary, but that you should also love your enemy.
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
He was even more specific than that at another time. When was asked what was the greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV)37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 (NKJV)39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
What Jesus was saying is that we are to show love to everybody, friends, enemies, everybody, no matter who they are.
Galatians 3:26-29 (NKJV) 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Colossians 3:9-11 (NKJV) 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
What does love have to do with solving the problems that we have here in this country and in the world? I may be naive but, if we love each other then we can talk to each other, if we love each other we can admit that we all have problems, if we love each other we can agree to seek help to solve our problems. But if we are going to sustain that kind of love, we have to love like God loves.
1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV)7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
That scripture tells us that not only is love an attribute of God but love is what God is. That scripture says that if we are born of God, and once you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are born of God, we should, like God…... actually be love.
John 15:12-13 (NKJV)12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
1 John 3:16 (NKJV)16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
That doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other but it does mean that we should love each other enough to talk. That’s what you do when you agree with your adversary quickly. You have to talk to each other in order to start to agree.
What matters to God is our love for Him and our love for each other. Wealth, power and status count for nothing in the kingdom of God. When we truly love our neighbors, we do our part to make the world a better place, and we find our own fulfillment in life.
RSS Feed