LOVE

 In 1997, the first verse in Genesis started my “Walk to God”.  This was the first time words in Holy Bible meant something more than just words.  As a kid, there was this crazy, weird guy with rainbow hair that showed up to sporting events and even a royal wedding. The reason I remember the wedding is a friend of mine got a picture with him. I think Princess Diana’s. 

It never dawned on me to look up the verse but remember it was John 3:16:  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Love was something I was not searching for, especially not from God. It was not until a few years after Jesus came into my life that this verse came to have meaning in my life. Let me explain.

The first two years of my “Walk to God” was about the Old Testament. Jesus had me start in the beginning where 100’s of hours were spent reading Genesis and the lives of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and others. Thanks Chuck Swindoll. 

Finally, Jesus came into my studies. Why did God send Jesus into the World to die on the Cross? If God gave his only son Jesus, wouldn’t the cross be the opposite of love?  After all, God spared Isaac from the burnt offering with Abraham. Would he not spare Jesus?  Nope, he put him on the Cross.   

One of my favorite parts in the Holy Bible (Matthew 22 & Mark 12) is when a Lawyer comes up to Jesus tempting him to answer, what is the greatest commandment? Jesus answers Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind (understanding) and strength. That is the first and greatest part. The second is you need to love your neighbor as yourself. Most people miss this vital point in Mark 12 where Jesus continues:

“to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Had Jesus not taught me the Old Testament first, I would have missed this point. Every animal sacrifice the Levitical Priests did was as simple as love your neighbor instead of the sacrifice.  Many Christians can’t love their neighbor because they don’t LOVE God. 1 John 2:15 and Matthew 5:44 tells us 

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

Say what, love my enemies, bless them that curse me, do good to those that hate me. Oh, heck no.  That is how some Christians think. That was my life before Christ which makes it easy for me to see Christians who love the world. You can tell by their fruit. 

God sent Jesus to die on the cross for all sin, yours and mine. I put him on that cross just as much as you did. Jesus already LOVES us, He DIED on a cross to set us free. Jesus command us to LOVE God and LOVE our neighbors, 1 John 5:3 says:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

These are simple commands "LOVE", not severe or shocking to anyone.