New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp; September 10
We were designed to be social beings, to live in vertical community with God and horizontal community with others. But we can know the true joys of human love only if love for God first rules our hearts. It is only when He is in His rightful place in our hearts that people can be in their appropriate places in our lives.
If love for God isn’t the place where you find your rest, you need human relationships too much and you are asking people to do for you what only your Savior can do.
You are looking to find your identity and deepest sense of well-being in the acceptance and love of people. This never works because there are no perfect people in your life. In some way, all the people around you will fail you. In some way, every relationship in your life will disappoint you. In some way and at some point, you will be sinned against. No mere human being is qualified to be your personal messiah!
You see, if God is not in His rightful place in my heart and life, guess who I insert in His place? The answer, of course, is me. I make my relationships all about me.
- Rather than love for God shaping my relationships and motivating me to say and do the things I do, love of self-drives me.
- Rather than being a patient servant in those relationships, I live in them as a demanding king [or queen].
- And because God is not at the center of my thoughts and desires, I expect to get from people in my life what only God can deliver. This leads to disappointment and acrimony [bitterness or ill feeling] in my relationships.
- So, I pray harder and work harder to make those relationships what they will never be. I look for help to “Match.com” Jesus, but what I am actually asking God to do is to replace Himself with other messiahs in my life—messiahs I can see, hear, and touch [this is called idolatry].
- This is the source of so much relational dysfunction and heartache [today].
But this picture is also a primary argument for our need of grace.
- Sin does make us focus on us too much.
- Sin does cause us to live in our relationships more like monarchs than servants.
- Sin does cause us to forget God and elevate people in our lives to the role of savior.
- Sin does cause us to question the goodness of God because He hasn’t placed these perfect little messiahs in our lives.
- Sin does cause us to crave the love of people more than we celebrate the eternal love of God.
Only when we are progressively [steadily; in stages; in a forward-looking, innovative manner] freed from our bondage to ourselves do we come to love God as we should; and as we love God as we should, we love people in the way that God has designed.
For this struggle, there is amazing, perseverant [unwavering] grace. God bestows on us His eternal transforming love so that by means of that love we will become people who find our rest in His love, and because we do, we are then able to love others well.
Let’s take a look into Mark 12:28-34 (amp version)
28 “Then one of the scribes [an expert in Mosaic Law] came up and listened to them arguing [with one another], and noticing that Jesus answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is first and most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first and most important one is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind [thought, understanding], and with all your strength.’ 31 This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to Him, “Admirably answered, Teacher; You truthfully stated that He is One, and there is no other but Him; 33 and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to [unselfishly] love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered thoughtfully and intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one would dare to ask Him any more questions.”
Jesus’ statement caught me off guard in verse 34, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” What led Jesus to say this? What did He see in this man, that we cannot? Are we more like this scribe than we think? Did this Scribe believe? Was Jesus’ pointed, public reply for him, those listening, us, and why?
I didn’t see slit difference until I reread the passage. Look at the man’s response to Jesus, 32 “The scribe said to Him, “Admirably answered, Teacher; You truthfully stated that He is One, and there is no other but Him; 33 and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to [unselfishly] love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
The scribe acknowledges who Jesus was (One), takes Jesus at His words, and sees it is far more than burnt offerings and sacrifices (which in that day was huge due to tradition, etc) yet he replaces “your” with “the.” It may seem small, but is this what Jesus is referring to? Jesus’ statements in verses 29-31 truly are intimate, personal, and relational, the scribe generalizes them into generic, removed, and nonpersonal – as it seems. We cannot know with certainty what was in this Scribe’s mind and heart that day when he encountered Jesus, but the gravity for us today is that we take heart into our relationship with God. Have made our relationship with Christ generic and removed…only when we need Him for something? Do we live “your” or “the”?
The love of God, the grace of God is yours if only you ask [see Eternity]. Brothers, Sisters in Christ, are you in right standing with God and others? Are your seen and unseen actions [of heart, mind, and soul] living, “The Lord our God is one Lord?” Is your ability to love changing because of 30 love[ing] the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind [thought, understanding], and with all your strength.’ 31 This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Side note: We have no trouble loving ourselves. Jesus isn’t saying love yourself so you can love others. No, we already love/pay close attention to our needs, wants, and actively pursue them to meet those desires. Jesus turns heads and says, “Love others so intently like you love yourself.” If I can put it this way, there is none of us and all of them [others]. Don’t deprive others—act as fast as you would act for yourself. Give as quickly as you would give to yourself. Love as affectionately as you love yourself—whatever it is you can do…simply, do and do it with all your heart in the love of Jesus Christ.
Are you more in love with Jesus than yesterday, last week, last month? What about last year? Your relationships depend upon it in every way.
Other related passages to consider: Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Leviticus 19:18, and John 15:13.
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE 