B – FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT – 2
From our first lesson, we realize that God is number ONE. God is love and loved us before we even thought of loving Him. We love Him with ALL our heart, soul, strength, and mind. We know we love Him if we obey Him. This is by far the most important commandment. It was stated in the O.T. and Jesus repeated it in the N.T.
Right along with this first commandment comes the second commandment of importance. Matt.22:39 “As yourself” reminds one of what is called the “Golden Rule.” Matt.7:12 Loving someone who loves us back is fairly simple. However to love someone who has nothing to do with us, or someone who is unkind—that is difficult. We may have someone that completely misunderstands us and fails to listen to us. Then there are those that are just unlovely and even those that are our enemies. Do we have to love them? Did God love us when we were sinners and very unlovely? 1Jhn.4:10,19 Yes, He loved us first when we were and are all sinners.
Let us look at this difficult 2nd commandment of importance. Remember, it was given in the O.T. as well as the N.T. Lev.19:18 This is a big temptation that Satan puts in our hearts—we hold grudges against our brothers and sisters in Christ. This should not be. After this statement God reminds us that He is the Lord. What He says matters. “But you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Our neighbor is not only our brothers and sisters in Christ but everyone. Paul restates some of the Ten Commandments and then he says, “it is summed up” in loving our neighbor as ourselves. Rom.13:9,10 But I don’t do any wrong to him, we say. Maybe not, but if we think it and harbor it in our hearts, it is the same. An example is when Jesus said if we are angry with someone, we have done the same as committing murder. Or if we lust after someone, we have committed adultery. What we think in our hearts is important to God. Matt.5:21,22; Matt.5:27,28
As we remember the love that God gave to us. This was grace—we neither deserved it not was it something we could earn. Do we really believe we were in sin or do we just smooth it over. 1 Jhn.4:11,12 If we love one another, God abides in us. Is this of importance to us? Can we choose the ones we love? That option is not found in the Bible. We justify; we make excuses; we fall for Satan’s deception.
A command concerning an enemy is found in Matt.5:44. Quoted from W.D. Mounce: “A child of God may have enemies but is not to be an enemy toward another person.” An enemy is one who is hostile toward another. Is one we consider an enemy really hostile toward us or are they just not reacting the way we think they should. In any case, we are to love them and pray for them. We are all human beings with many faults and weaknesses. Our goal is to encourage, try to understand, forbear, forgive that we may all grow up together in Christ. 1 Thess.3:12; 1 Jhn.2:10,11
We have such a tendency to see the dot in our eye and the plank in our neighbor’s eye when it may be the other way around. Matt.7:3-5 This is the way Satan wants us to think and act for love of one another is his enemy. Jam.4:11 It would be difficult, if not impossible, to love one another as long as we are judging one another. Rom.14:10
As Christ loved us, even to the point of calling us His brother, so we love others. Mk.3:35 God called us His child. 1 Jhn.3:10,11,23 Could we ever ask for more? Oh, how we love Him so in turn we love others. 1 Thess.3:12,13 We would say that we love God but do we? 1 Jhn.4:20,21
We are to especially love those of the household of faith—our brothers and sisters in Christ. Gal.6:10 These are not the only ones we love. We love all. 1 Thess.3:12 We are told to do everything in love. That is all inclusive. 1 Cor.16:14 The importance of love is emphasized in Gal.5:14 Jesus, Himself, said that there is no other commandment greater than these two—love God with your ALL and also your neighbor. Mk.12:31
Our own hearts can deceive us as our words indicate love, but not our deeds. 1 Jhn.3:17 We want to know God and know that we are born of Him. This can only happen as we love one another. 1 Jhn.4:7,8 May this not be just words.
Adam Clark leaves us with a good quote on loving our neighbor:
“By this rule we are taught to bear with, love and forgive him; to rejoice in his felicity (happiness), mourn in his adversity, desire and delight in his prosperity, and promote it to the utmost of our power; instruct his ignorance, help him in his weakness, and risk even our life for his sake, and for the public good. In a word, we must do everything in our power, through all the possible varieties of circumstances, for our neighbors, which we would wish them to do for us, were our situations reversed.”
May we learn and grow in our ability to love. Lk.10:27
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