Loving God with all your heart: what does it mean?

Many times the scribes and Pharisees tried to tempt Christ by asking Him various questions. Others asked Him, sincerely wanting to find answers. One question was asked twice by two different people, one of whom wanted to know the truth, and the other wanted to tempt. This was a question about the greatest commandment in the law. Let's read the relevant passages of Scripture.

Matthew 22:35-38 “And one of them, a lawyer, tempting Him, asked, saying: Teacher! What is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus 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 first and greatest commandment.”

Mark 12:28-30 “One of the scribes, hearing their debate and seeing that Jesus answered them well, came and asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus answered him: The first of all commandments is: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength,”—this is the first commandment!”

Loving God: What does it mean?

From what we have read, it is clear that loving God with all your heart is the most important commandment. However, what does it mean? We, unfortunately, live in a time when the meaning of the word “love” is reduced only to a feeling. Loving someone is perceived as “feeling good with someone.” However, this “feeling” does not necessarily characterize love in its biblical meaning. Scripture talks about love, which is closely related to action. Therefore, to love God means to fulfill His commandments, His will, that is, to do what God wants. Jesus said this clearly:

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

John 14:21-24 “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and appear to him Myself. Judas (not Iscariot) says to Him: Lord! What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words.”

Also in Deuteronomy 5:8-10 (see Exodus 20:5-6) we read: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth, do not worship them or serve them; For I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, punishing the children for the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

It is impossible to separate love for God and keeping His commandments, the Word of God. Jesus Christ spoke clearly about this. He who loves Him keeps the Word of God; and he who does not keep the Word of God does not love Him! Therefore, loving God does not mean just feeling great while sitting in a church pew during Sunday worship. It rather means that I strive to do what pleases God, what pleases Him. And we must do this every day.

There are passages in the first letter of the Apostle John that reveal the meaning of love for God.

1 John 4:19-21: “Let us love Him, because He first loved us. He who says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see? And we have this commandment from Him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.”

1 John 5:2-3: “By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is love for God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.”

1 John 3:22-23: “And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. And His commandment is that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He commanded us.”

There are many misconceptions in modern Christianity. One of them, a very serious one, is the false idea that God is not interested in whether we fulfill His commandments and will or not. The misconception is that the only moment in time that matters to God is when we started out in our “faith.” “Faith” and “love of God” were separated from their practical meaning, and were perceived as theoretical ideas and concepts that could exist on their own, without interfering with a person’s way of life. However, faith implies being faithful. If you have faith, then you must BE true to what you believe! A faithful person should try to please the One to whom he is faithful. He must do His will, His commandments.

From the above it follows that God's favor and His love are not entirely unconditional, as some of us believe. This idea can also be seen in the previous passages. John 14:23 says:

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him.”

1 John 3:22: “And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.”

And Deuteronomy 5:9-10 says, “You shall not worship them or serve them; For I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, punishing the children for the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

John 14:23 has an “if” condition followed by an “and.” If the one who loves Jesus keeps His Word, And as a result, the Heavenly Father will love him, and will come with His Son, and make his abode with him. The first letter of the Apostle John says that we will receive whatever we ask of Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. The passage in Deuteronomy says that God's unfailing love will be shown to those who love Him and keep His commandments. There is a definite connection between God's love (as well as His favor) and doing God's will. In other words, let us not think that disobeying God, disregarding His Word and His commandments does not matter, because God still loves us. Nor do you think that simply by saying, “I love God,” you really love Him. I think that we can understand whether we love God or not by answering the following simple question: “Are we doing what pleases God: keeping His Word, His commandments?” If we answered “Yes,” then we truly love God. If our answer is “No,” then we do not love Him. Everything is very simple.

John 14:23-24: “Whoever loves Me will keep My word;... He who does not love Me does not keep My words.”

Christians.Online

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30)

HOW TO EXPLAIN THE MAXIMALISM OF THE 1ST COMMANDMENT?

a) If not from the bottom of my heart, then this is not love, but falling in love for a short time. A decent bride and an unspoiled groom will never be satisfied with this temporary outbreak of feelings. They need lifelong love, And from the heart. Moreover, the Lord will not be satisfied with such an outburst of religious feelings, which will soon go out if it does not develop into heartfelt love. And He will not agree to anything less.

b) If not with all my soul, it will be burning at full intensity , and only when something is needed from God. And then they manage without Him. Like spouses when they need something from each other. And then tenderness and feelings subside for a time.

c) If not with all our understanding, then our sermons, our poetry, our creativity may not be deep, and sometimes not smart. This can often be a travesty of the truth. And God’s image, refracted in such a mind, reaches people distorted, like a friendly cartoon. And people do not go to such a God. Want examples?

One preacher, speaking about a barren fig tree that the gardener wanted to somehow save and fertilize with manure, picked up the Bible and, shaking it, said with inspiration:

- Brothers and sisters, all this Sunday morning the Lord has been covering our souls with this manure, fertilizing us so that we too will bear fruit.

There was inspiration, but where is the mind? So call the Bible! And more than two hundred visitors listened to him.

And the second is a guest from the states, aged 60, a former Russian:

-Are you a preacher?

-Yes.

-Then say the word.

He read about Joseph’s temptation by Patiphar’s wife, and he became so carried away, painting scenes behind a closed door, and how temperamental she was (as if he himself were in Joseph’s place). He became flushed, gesticulating with his hands. And everyone in the hall lowered their heads. Ashamed. And he - nothing. Where is the intelligence, more simply, where is your mind, speaker? Look into the room, and if your mind is okay, you will understand everything.

d) If not with our entire strength, then our works and creativity will have little vitality and will quickly die in people’s memory. They will reach the first listeners on stilts and there they will crumble into dust.

And if this is so, not with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, then we are giving God not real values, but counterfeits. But you can’t fool God - He knows how to distinguish a diamond from a cut piece of glass. What is a diamond? Why is it so valued? Diamonds are born where the tired heart of the earth beats. And from the enormous pressure of the earth’s crust they are squeezed out through the Kimberlite pipes. I flew over one of them: several hundred meters in diameter and 1200 meters deep.

The difficulty and difficulty of mining diamonds determines their value. But the expensive and painstaking work of cutting turns them into diamonds, and they become even more valuable. The fakes are very similar. They take a certain type of glass, melt it in molds, cut it without much difficulty, and achieve an external resemblance. But all this is easy, inexpensive, and short-lived. That's why the price is low.

Poems, songs, sermons that are not hard-won, not smelted in the tectonic depths of the soul and heart, but born only from a superficial slight fluctuation of feelings are fakes. They have little vitality and benefit. Sometimes they are like moths - ephemeral. But if they rise

all the feelings burst out, you got over them, and skillfully removed the edges, removing everything unnecessary - it will live. Even a long-sung song, having passed through the heat of the heart, becomes effective. The Lord gives us precious thoughts from above, like diamonds, expecting us to turn them into diamonds.

And if we are not imbued with these thoughts, if we do not become ill with them, if they do not pass through our entire soul, stirring up all its nooks and crannies, we can simply ruin them. Without passion, nothing great has been accomplished in the world. When it embraces the best sides of our nature, it is inspiration.

While traveling by train near the huge sculpture of the Motherland on Mamayev Kurgan, a neighbor in the compartment said the following:

“Do you know the history of this monument, and who is depicted in this sculpture? Its creator is the sculptor Vuchetich. He embodied in this huge figure the image of his beloved wife. I worked with her in the same department and knew her well. Every time I pass here, it’s as if I meet her.”

The deepest thoughts Job brought up from the tectonic depths of his suffering soul are diamonds that have not lost their value over several millennia. And fourteen letters of the Apostle Paul! Whose works have been studied by millions of people for two millennia.” Lasting values are represented by the works of the Apostles and “those who believe in Him through their word.”

These good examples are only steps towards the main example.

“The precious stone” is Christ (1 Peter 2:4-7).

It was easier to destroy the world than to save it. And in order to save, the Son of God had to step from heavenly conditions onto Earth into our world, saturated with evil, and die in it from his wounds, having lived in this nightmare for only 33.5 years. Only ardent love—from the entire Divine soul—can explain his coming here. “For God so loved the world.”

Everything that Jesus said or did are diamonds in the world’s creativity. Every word is Truth with a capital T, and filled with life.

Some mountain rivers of the Urals, making their way through the mountains, carry grains of gold and precious stones. Some. Others roll boulders and pebbles, which are of little value. So is human creativity. There are a lot of cobblestones, but incomparably fewer precious thoughts and ideas are found by prospectors - biographers.

And what developments have been going on for 2 millennia in the earthly creative heritage of Christ! Each of His Words is “spirit and life.”

And what a diamond, born in the very depths of the soul of the Son of God, was brought to God! Victim. Self-sacrifice. “He hath made perfect forever those who are sanctified by one offering” (Heb. 10:14). Its value was enough to redeem (redeem) millions of souls. The Heavenly Father, figuratively speaking, took this jewel in his hands, looked, hesitated, and said: “I forgive, My Son, to the whole world, to everyone who honors Your deed on the cross, to everyone for whom You intercede.”

The maximalism of God's requirements of the 1st commandment, first of all, is needed by us - people, so that, if we do something, we do it from the heart at the highest level available to us. And don’t give away hack work. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Col. 3:23) This approach will lead you to professionalism and quality both spiritually and in everyday life. Both God and people will need you.

What else does a person need?

So: love with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. He will not agree to anything less.

“But I don’t feel the will of God”: an example of two brothers

When talking about doing God's will, people can also be mistaken. Some Christians believe that we can only do God's will if we perceive it. If we don't feel it, then we are free, because God doesn't want people to do anything if they don't feel it. But tell me, do you always go to work, guided only by your sensations and feelings? Do you try to understand how you feel about your work when you wake up in the morning, and then, based on your feelings, do you make a decision: finally get out of bed or bury yourself even more under warm blankets? Are you doing this? Don't think. You DO your job no matter how you feel! But whenever it comes to doing the will of God, we give too much space to our feelings. God, of course, wants us to do His will AND feel it. However, even if we do not feel this, it is still better to do His will than not to obey it at all! Let's look at the example given by the Lord, where He said: “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you...” (Matthew 18:9). He did not say: “If your eye offends you, and you somehow feel in a special way that it is necessary to pluck it out, then do it. But if you don’t have such a feeling, then you are free from it. You can leave it untouched so that it can continue to seduce you.” The damaged eye must be removed whether we feel the need or not! The same thing happens with the will of God. The best option is to perform and feel it. If you don’t feel it, do it anyway, instead of showing your disobedience to God!

Let's look at another example from the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter 21 tells how the high priests and elders of the people again tried to catch Christ with their questions. The following parable was an answer to one of their questions.

Matthew 21:28-31: “What do you think? One man had two sons; and he, approaching the first one, said: “Son! Go and work in my vineyard today.” But he answered: “I don’t want to”; and then, repenting, he left. And going up to the other, he said the same thing. This one said in response: “I’m going, sir,” and did not go. Which of the two fulfilled the will of the father? They say to Him: “First.”

Their answer was correct. The first son did not want to fulfill the will of his father. Therefore, he simply told him: “I will not go to work in the vineyard today.” But then, after thinking about it, he changed his mind. Who knows what influenced his decision. Perhaps it was concern for his father. He heard his father's call to work in the vineyard, but he did not have much emotional uplift for this work. He might have wanted to sleep longer, or to slowly drink his coffee, or to go for a walk with his friends. Therefore, he, perhaps still lying in bed, responded to his father’s request with his protest: “I won’t go.” But, finally waking up from sleep, the son thought about his father, about how he loved him, and, changing his mind, forced himself to get out of bed and go and do what his father asked!

The second son, perhaps also still lying in bed, said to his father: “Yes, dad, I’ll go.” But he didn’t do what he promised! He probably fell asleep again and then called his friend and disappeared, doing whatever he wanted. He may have momentarily “felt” the need to fulfill his father’s will, but those feelings came and went. This “feeling” of having to do God’s will was replaced by another “feeling” of doing something else. Therefore, the son did not go into the vineyard.

Which of these two sons fulfilled his father's will? The one who at first didn’t want to go to work, but he went anyway, or the one who felt the need to go, but changed his mind and didn’t go? The answer is obvious. We read that love for the Father is expressed by doing His will. Therefore, the question can be asked differently: “Which of the two sons loved the Father?” or “Which of his sons was the Father pleased with? The one who promised Him to do His will, but in the end did not fulfill it, or the one who still fulfilled it? The answer is the same: “To the one who fulfilled His will!” Conclusion: Do God's will regardless of your feelings! Let your first reaction be: “I won’t do that!” or “I don’t feel it!” Change your mind and do what God expects of you. Yes, of course, it is much easier to do the will of God if you have a great desire for it. However, when choosing between not doing the will of the Father and doing it without much desire, we must say: “I will do the will of my Father because I love my Father and want to please Him.”

Love!

Yesholla

And one of them, a lawyer, tempting Him, asked, saying: Teacher!
What is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus 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 first and greatest commandment; (Matthew 22:35-38) The Lord told us that this is the FIRST and GREAT commandment! How should we respond to His command? Execute? But how? How to love someone you can't see? What does it mean with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind? The problem is that our human understanding of love is completely different from God's. I once preached in a village in the south of Ukraine, during evangelization, and one local resident, in order to show himself as a believer, told me publicly: “But I know the Ten Commandments!” I fell silent and said: “Well, name it then!” And he clearly listed all the ten commandments given by God to Moses for the Jewish people. I said: “Well done! Everything is true, but tell me, how do you understand the commandment “Thou shalt not steal?” In the silence that followed, all eyes were directed at this expert of the Word. Without any doubt, the man blurted out: “The commandment do not steal means that you cannot steal from me!” Everyone laughed, the service was successful, but this man’s answer did not leave me alone. When I began to reflect on him, I realized that this man from the village was more honest than us who call ourselves believers. Almost always, all articles of the law are considered by us as due execution in relation to us, but whatever from us is not reviewed. For example: when a believer inadvertently misappropriated something or did not pay (for example, a tax), then this bothers him little. But when they stole from him, the whole nature of the “righteous” man demands that the sentence be carried out according to the law. Or when you give false information (gossip) about someone, you may not even notice that you violated a commandment, but when they say too much about us, we immediately remember about the law and feel victimized. Same thing about love... Agree, when we come to church, we expect the believers to show love towards us! Inherent in our old nature is the need to be loved and disappointment if this love is not given to us. I have seen many people who believe in God leave the church with the words: “There is no love in this church!” Of course not, because almost everyone legitimately demands self-love and does not even think about loving unconditionally themselves.

love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind

It is not human nature to love anyone other than yourself. We even love our wives and children simply because they are “mine”! And if they don’t do what I want, hate replaces love. This property of human love is to love temporarily and conditionally. A person cannot love any other way and, worst of all, does not want to! There is no need for a person to learn the love of Christ. It is enough to memorize the verse from John 3:16, attach a badge like “I love Jesus”, learn to say correctly: “I love you with the love of Christ”, learn songs about the love of Christ, an unctuous smile, in short, put on the whole range of decorations. It’s funny, but the majority, having gotten used to these settings, sincerely believe that they are in the love of God, and if their conscience starts to drill, there are enough spiritual mechanisms based on the books of famous Christian writers. According to the scheme, we must forgive, confess, repent, bless, thank! All! I am at peace with the Lord again, the main thing is to always rejoice and give thanks for EVERYTHING! I declare with full responsibility that if even a little bit of the love of Christ were manifested in our churches, then sinners themselves would come to surrender to God and there would be no need to spend huge amounts of money on fruitless evangelistic programs, seminars, festivals, parades, etc. In the absence of a manifestation of the true love of Christ, as crazy as it may sound, there is solid unity between all faiths. We are all united in this!

A normal person loves a lot of people and things. In his heart, soul and mind, as in rooms - cells, various worldly passions successfully live. He loves his wife, his mother, his brothers and sisters, his friends, his work, he loves beer and talking, he loves preference, rock music, books, he loves his homeland, he loves Kiev cake too... What's wrong with that? By human standards - nothing. In the life of every person there is a huge number of love attachments to various objects of adoration. A person loves everything that his “ego” wants, which means he pays for his lusts, that is, he spends his life to achieve what he loves. When a person hears the Word and God opens his heart to believe, then often the person deceives himself that he is able to fulfill all the commandments. He tries with all his might not to sin, but he sins even more, since he now knows the law, which reveals to him that he is a sinner. The law is a teacher to Christ and after fruitless attempts to be righteous through the works of the law, he has a need for a Savior. It is very sad that many, coming to Jesus as the redeemer from sin, are least concerned about the need for redemption from the curse for failure to fulfill the first and greatest commandment. They confess the sins of drunkenness, drug addiction, fornication, theft, lying, but very rarely about the lack of love. Moreover, false teachers teach them to simply “confess” that He loves Jesus. The works of the flesh bring their own disappointments, because without love there is no fruit!

The commandment to love God first of all judges the insides of the believer, telling him that now he must love only Him. Our God is Zealot! That is, now in our life, in our soul, in our mind and in our spirit, NOTHING should have a place except Him. That's why Jesus said in Luke 14:26 that if we don't hate our father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and OUR ENTIRE LIFE, then we cannot be his disciples. Nothing and no one, even our life, can be more loved and dearer than Him, otherwise something or someone will close us off from God and become our idol. Our whole mind must be filled with Him, and if we do not take care of this, our mind will become corrupt, that is, perverted (Rom. 1:28). Our soul must leave all former desires (Matthew 16:25) “for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” and thirst only for Him. Our will must be completely subject to Him. All this is possible through love. It is useless to strive to fulfill the commandments, to be zealous for gifts, to seek strength, to be in service, to move mountains... everything will be in vain. Only to the ONE who LOVES all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28)!

“Love is so perfected in us that we have confidence in the day of judgment, because we walk in this world as He does” (1 John 4:17). Only love will make us perfect and capable of doing the works of Christ. Only a lover is able to fulfill His Word and Commandments (1 John 2:5, 1 John 5:3). Abiding in love, we abide in God, and He in us (1 John 4:16). That is why the commandments of love are the first and most important, because they contain the Law and the Prophets, that is, only through love for God and neighbor is life not subject to sin. In Christ Jesus the law has no meaning, but faith working through LOVE! This means only one thing: if you believe, then the manifestation of faith in you can be seen primarily through love, and everything else is a consequence of love. A specific fact is written: Everyone who LOVES is born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7)! The Apostle Paul calls to put on the love of Christ (Col. 3:14), to understand the love of Christ (Eph. 3:19), so that we may achieve love (1 Cor. 14:1).

Why do many do not have the love of Christ, despite the fact that they confess Him as Lord? First: (Matthew 24:12) “Because iniquity abounds, the love of many will grow cold.” You, gentlemen, know without me that if you love sin, then your love for the Lord will grow cold, which is a violation of the First and Greatest Commandment, that is, lawlessness. Everyone must make a decision: are you the Bride or the Whore of Babylon. The principle of Babylon is confusion, that is, I believe in God and love sin. The Bride will not tolerate anything unclean in her life, because she loves the Groom. Second: (2 Tim. 4:3-4) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires they will heap up for themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they will turn away their ears from the truth and turn to fables.” What sermons are we listening to today? What books do we read? What teaching are we in? What songs do we sing? Listen! All messages are directed at us, at our Self, at our needs, at our problems. What is prevalent in your ministry today, what is the theme? “Restoration”, “Prosperity”, “Healing”, “Family and Children”, and songs like “I want to say so...”, “I want to glorify you”, “I need you”.... And where is the most important topic: ABOUT THE LOVE OF CHRIST? Have you ever wondered why preachers so rarely preach on this topic? Yes, because how can you talk about what you don’t know. How can you share what you don't have? Moreover, everyone knows you and when you talk about love, no one believes you, but they pretend that they agree. I have always been surprised that all Christians, having learned the Word about Christ, make an effort to accept Him as Lord and Savior by faith, but a much smaller number of people, having learned the Word that the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh, make an effort of faith that to receive the Holy Spirit and be filled with it. And, almost a few, some, having learned the Word that Love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5), I make efforts of faith to accept this love and abide in it. A church without love is a consequence of the fact that the teaching of Christ is neglected. Third: (2 Cor. 3:6) “He has given us the ability to be ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, because the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The letter kills. Our worship should never be saturated with intellectual knowledge of God alone. For the vast majority of people, God is not reality or reality, but the result of inference, a deductive conclusion: “I read a book called the Bible, which talked about a man named Jesus Christ, and I also watched a video program by Kenneth Copeland and I realized that God there must be, therefore I believe that He exists!” In the atmosphere of today's ministry in most churches there has long been boredom and indifference, because the ministry is ruled by She - Her Majesty the PROGRAM. Even before the meeting of most churches in the world, people know how the meeting will go, what songs will be sung, how many sermons there will be, and that nothing interesting will happen. It has long been forgotten that God is a person! And He wants to have fellowship with His people and breathe in the fragrance of His worship in Spirit and Truth. But the people have already forgotten that the meaning of human life is to find God in the designated period of time for everyone, to feel Him (Acts 17:26-27), but they really love their rituals, traditions and remember the history of their denomination.

So how to love? (Isaiah 44:3) “For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry land.” Many have a deceptive understanding that the grace of God pours out on us of its own accord. No! Grace is not free water from the tap. Try to beg her again. They taught us that for nothing! So it’s on the ball, so you can treat it with disdain. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who hunger and thirst. God opens His fountains to those who thirst (John 7:37), He opens them to those who knock, He will let those who seek find them. If you don’t care, if you think that you already have everything (the heresy of Calvinism is very developed in Christian circles: “You don’t need to do anything, God has already done everything, just believe, and in general, a person has no freedom of choice), you are rich, then the grace of God is in vain for you, even if you say “Yes” to Christ. That’s why this phrase is popular among our ministers: “Repeat after me.” Well, if you are thirsty, you will definitely get drunk, and if you are hungry, you will be satisfied. Don’t be a passive mind, make sure to always have God in your mind. Do not be passive in your will, make an effort of will to capture the Kingdom in your life. (1 Cor. 14:1) “Achieve love!” Love is an achievement and we need to achieve it in order to remain in it. That is, it requires effort, patience, search, sacrifice, co-crucifixion. Without death according to the flesh, it is impossible to grow the fruit of the spirit called love. Our path of love, like Jesus’s, passes through Calvary. Until our “I” dies, there will be no achievements. (Isaiah 66:2) “But this is the one I will look upon: the one who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My word.” I want to emphasize the phrase “to him who trembles at My word.” God is watching so that His Word will soon be fulfilled (Jer. 1:12). We must treat the Word of Life with due reverence so that It will soon be fulfilled in our lives. When we receive exhortation in the Word of God, we must remember that the GOAL of exhortation is LOVE from a pure heart (1 Timothy 1:5), not knowledge of the letter. By abiding in the Word, we abide in Him, and then His Word abides in us, bearing fruit in its season (John 15:7). (1 John 2:5) “But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God is truly perfected in him: by this we know that we are in Him.” By accepting His Word, feeding on it as Bread from Heaven, we feed on Christ Himself and His Love, which will certainly manifest itself in deeds of love and mercy, and from which it will be clear that we are in Him. (Rom.5:5) “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” By receiving the Holy Spirit, we have received the potential of God's love. And now, it is our responsibility to experience the love of God ourselves, through knowing Him and communicating with Him “And we knew the love that God has for us and believed in it. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:1). (1 John 3:1) “In this we know love, that He laid down His life for us.” Is it really possible not to accept the love of Christ, dwelling in the Word about how He showed His love to a perishing world by deed. May the Holy Spirit guide us to this truth. (1 John 3:1) “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. The world does not know us because it has not known Him.” Look! What a call! What love the Father has given us! What are you looking at today, brother? Where are the eyes of your heart directed, sister? Do you look at the Glory of God so that, as if in a mirror, you are reflected in the image of God? Or you look at this world and it attracts you. Do you look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God? Or you see your needs, your sins, your worries. What you look at will manifest itself in your life. Keep your eyes on Love and don't let the devil take your eyes off Jesus!

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ (2 Thess. 3:5).

Night in Gethsemane

However, this does not mean that we do not have the right or cannot turn to the Father and ask Him for other possible options. Our relationship with Heavenly Father is a true RELATIONSHIP. The Lord desires that communication with His child servants should always be available. The events of the night of Gethsemane, when Jesus was handed over to be crucified, are proof of this. Jesus was in the garden with His disciples, waiting for the traitor Judas, who was to come, accompanied by the servants of the Israeli high priests and elders, to arrest Christ and crucify Him. Jesus was in agony. He would rather this cup pass from Him. He asked His Father about this:

Luke 22:41-44: “And He Himself went away from them a stone's throw, and kneeled down and prayed, saying: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not My will, but Yours be done. An angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him. And, being in a struggle, he prayed more diligently, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

There is nothing wrong with asking the Father for a way out of a situation. There is nothing wrong with asking Him, “Can I stay home today and not go to the vineyard?” It would be wrong to stay at home without asking Him about it! This is disobedience. However, there is nothing wrong with asking Him for another option. If there is no other option, then your Father can provide special encouragement and support for you to willingly do His will. Jesus, while in the Garden of Gethsemane, also received encouragement and support: “An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.”

Jesus would have wanted the cup of suffering to pass from Him, BUT only if it was God's will. However, this was not the will of God. Jesus accepted it. When Judas arrived surrounded by soldiers, Jesus turned to Peter, saying:

John 18:11: “Put the sword in its sheath; Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus always did what pleased the Father, even if He didn't feel like doing it. And by doing this, He pleased the Father, and the Father was always close to Jesus, never leaving Him. Christ said:

John 8:29: “He who sent Me is with Me; The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.”

He is an example for us. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul tells us:

Philippians 2:5-11: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus humbled Himself. He said, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus SUBMITTED! We must follow His example. We must have the mind of Christ in us, the mind of humility and obedience, the mind that says: “Not my will, but Thine be done!” Paul continues and says:

Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will. and acting according to His good pleasure.”

The Apostle, speaking: “Therefore, my beloved,” says that, having the example of great obedience shown in our Lord Jesus Christ, we also must obey God, “working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because God works in us also to will.” , and acting according to His good pleasure.” James continues this thought by saying:

James 4:6-10: “Therefore it is said: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” So submit yourself to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you; Cleanse your hands, you sinners; straighten your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, weep and howl; Let your laughter turn into crying, and your joy into sadness. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Unidentified Author - Love God with all your heart... and your neighbor as yourself

Love God with all your heart... and your neighbor as yourself

God is love

From the publisher

There is no saint who does not reflect on spiritual love. There is no Christian who does not think about the meaning and purpose of love. There is no Orthodox person who does not ask himself: what is love? where does she come from? what does it exist for?

It’s an amazing thing: man on earth is given the opportunity to experience love, but he is not given the opportunity to know its essence. There are concepts that do not fit into the human mind, such as “eternity”, “infinity”, “universe”. The heart can operate with these concepts, but the mind shamefully retreats before them, because it is powerless to comprehend them. After all, these concepts are directly related to God, and man cannot understand the essence of God. The concept of “love” also applies to such concepts.

Physiology tells us that love is a nervous excitement. Psychology says that love is a feeling. Non-traditional religions say that love is a special type of energy.

And the holy Apostle John says: He who does not love does not know God, because God is Love (1 John 4:8). To put it simply, God seems to consist entirely of love, and in whom there is true love, God abides.

Love is a connection that cannot be broken, which, once it appears, never ceases to exist. Therefore, if someone says: “love has passed,” he is not talking about love, but about something else.

Life without love is not life, but a miserable existence. The death of those we love breaks our hearts. But it is better to experience the pain of losing loved ones, which in the next century will turn into joy, than to live without love.

So let us love each other, brothers and sisters, as ardently and sincerely as the Lord Jesus Christ loved us!

About love

Put on love, which is the sum total of perfection.

Col. 3:14

“Blessed is the man in whom there is the love of God[1], because he carries God within himself. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16). In whom there is love, he never disdains anyone, small and great, glorious and inglorious, poor and rich; on the contrary, he himself is scum for everyone [2]; covers all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:7). In whom there is love, he does not exalt himself before anyone, does not become arrogant, does not slander anyone, and turns away his ears from those who slander. In whom there is love, he does not indulge in flattery[3], he himself does not stumble and does not kick his brother’s feet[4]. In whom there is love, he does not compete, does not envy, does not look with a hateful eye, does not rejoice at the fall of others, does not denigrate the fallen, but sympathizes with him and takes part in him, does not despise a brother in need, but intercedes and is ready to die for him. In whom there is love, he fulfills the will of God, he is a disciple of God. For our good Master Himself said: by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). He who has love in him does not consider anyone a stranger to himself, but everyone is his own. In whom there is love, he is not irritated, is not proud, is not inflamed with anger, does not rejoice over untruth, does not tolerate lies, and does not consider anyone his enemy except the devil. He who has love endures all things, is merciful, and patient (1 Cor. 13:4–7). Therefore, blessed is he who has acquired love. The worker of love will be a cohabitant with the Angels and will reign with Christ. Out of love, God the Word descended to earth. Through love, paradise is opened[5] to us, and everyone is shown the entrance to Heaven. We, who were His enemies, have been reconciled with God through love. Therefore, we rightly say that God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God (1 John 4:16)”[6].

This is love! Such are its beneficial fruits! Let us use our strength to instill this feeling of love in ourselves, because no matter how blessed is the one who has acquired love, so unfortunate and pitiful is the one who is far from it. He, in the words of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, “spends his days in sleepy delirium.” “And who,” continues the same holy father, “will not cry for such a person who is far from God, deprived of light and lives in darkness? For whoever does not have the love of Christ is an enemy of Christ. He who said that he who hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15) and walks in darkness (1 John 2:11) is not deceitful when he says that he is easily ensnared in all kinds of sin. He who has no love soon becomes irritated, soon becomes angry, and soon becomes inflamed with hatred. He who does not have love rejoices over the injustice of others, does not sympathize with the falling, does not stretch out his hand to the lying, does not give advice to the overthrown, does not support the wavering. He who has no love is blinded by his mind, he is a friend of the devil, he is the inventor of all wickedness, he is the breeder of quarrels, he is the friend of slanderers[7], the interlocutor of earphones[8], the adviser of offenders, the mentor of the envious, the worker of pride, the vessel of arrogance. In a word: he who has not acquired love is a tool of the enemy, wanders along every path and does not know that he is walking in darkness.”

Whoever wants to be saved must certainly try to acquire love for himself. According to the apostle, it is an excellent way to salvation (1 Cor. 12:31). “If you want to be saved,” one pious hermit said to those who asked him about the path to salvation, “have love and mercy for everyone[9]” (Prologue, January 20). Love occupies such an important place in the matter of our salvation that all our deeds, all our virtues without it will serve us nothing. Without love we are nothing. If, writes the holy Apostle Paul, I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, then I am a ringing gossamer and a sounding cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I could move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3). So, let us use all our strength to acquire love for ourselves - the basis of our salvation, the source of our bliss. Now these three remain: faith, hope, love; but love is the greatest of them all. Pursue love (1 Cor. 13:13–14:1).

About the love of God

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

Mf.
22:37 Why we should love God
Is it not unnecessary for us to talk about why we should love God? Without a doubt, none of us Christians will object to the words: “How can you not love God?” Or: “Who should we love if not God?” But in words it is so, but in reality it is different. Being mostly among earthly, vain objects, we are attached to them with our hearts, we almost only think about them and love them, barely devoting a little time to prayer to God, and then somehow hard, reluctantly. We are so cold, so indifferent in our attitude towards God! To revive in ourselves true love for God, we need to think more often about the countless benefits that we have received from Him - think about what He has done for us, because of which He has a full and inalienable right to our gratitude and love, as our Benefactor.

End of introductory fragment.

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Footnotes

The love of God is the love of God. But if someone “loves his neighbor not out of some worldly or shameful disposition, but for the sake of God, then this love can be called the love of God, since it is commanded by God and is pleasing to Him,” writes the blessed one. Theophylact of Bulgaria in his interpretation of the Gospel of Luke (chapter 11, art. 21).

Garbage - rubbish, cleaning.

Flattery is deception, lies, pretense, deceit.

Stammer - to trip up, to obstruct the path; stammer - stumble.

Holes - open.

From the works of St. Ephraim the Syrian.

Slanderous - inclined to speak badly about others, scold others.

The earphone is an informer, a sneaker.

Be diligent - take care; hold on to something.

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