I'm back from Kenya. Had an awesome trip. Four days of leadership training. So exhilarating to teach people who are so hungry for God and His Word. Got to help baptize 80 people on Sunday. Awesome experience! Thank you for your prayers. God bless you and keep you in His love.
In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says that the greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Jesus says the completion of the whole law resides in loving God and loving others as we love ourselves.
But in John 13:34, Jesus says, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” How is this new commandment greater that the greatest commandment? You see the greatest commandment required us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This love is limited and flawed because it is based on our ability to love ourselves. The new commandment takes love to a whole new level, and that is to love others as Christ loves us. This is a perfect love from God, and His very essence is love. He can do nothing else but love. This is truly Agape love and is impossible for us to attain in ourselves.
Agape deliberately chooses to, without reservation, taking no thought of myself or your merit, constantly and deeply love you without fail. Agape is love without a hook, as it demands nothing in return. I Corinthians 13:7 says that agape bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things—it never fails. This level of love is impossible in ourselves. It is a fruit of the Spirit in that its source is the Spirit of God. As such, it is not swayed by people or circumstances.
Agape was evidenced in the early church. Acts 2:44-47 says, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Again in Acts 4:32-35, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”
This total abandonment of self was evidence of the pure, childlike life of love in the early church that would turn the world upside down for Christ. Jesus said, “by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 This is a picture of the infant church as the Lord was setting the DNA for what He wanted— as He was calling His people together to live in true Biblical relationship. Though we may not live the communal lifestyle of the early church, agape love, the love of Christ, still demands abandonment of ourselves in our pursuit of God and the world for which He gave His Son for.
Andy Clarkwww.andyclarksdevotionals.blogspot.com
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