How are you? How is your week going? Have you been obedient in your calling to love God and love your neighbor?
In this stressful and burdensome time, it might seem unreasonable and even impolite that your pastor is asking you if you have loved God and loved your neighbor this week. It might seem impossible to even think about the Greatest Commandment in the midst of everyday life, especially during this pandemic.
However, I believe that God is giving us an opportunity in these days to reorient our hearts. He is drawing us back to Himself. He is calling us out of darkness into light. He is reminding us of His deliverance of us from death into life… from condemnation into freedom. Is this true for you? Do you believe in Jesus as your Lord? Do you trust in Him as your Savior?
See, this is the ultimate place of hope. During this time, we can try to escape through various outlets of our pleasure. We can try to act normal and poised, even though life is not “normal.” We can try to fake it until we make it. We can be consumed with our work, our families, our finances, etc.
But those places are not places of hope. They are not the ultimate place of security and comfort. Comfort that is not eternal is not comforting. Hope that does not last is not hope. Peace that is based on our circumstances will come and go with our circumstances.
Our ultimate place of security, comfort, peace, and hope is in the truth of Jesus Christ: His life, death, and resurrection. He has secured our place for eternity. He is the One who rules over all. He is the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
So… if our ultimate hope and peace is found in the light of that truth, then we are called to continue to walk in the light. It is for our good. This is how God created us. It is our chief end. It is how we are wired. After the redemption we have in Christ and His sacrifice, we are called to live redeemed lives. As He has freed us by way of the cross, we are called to live free. It is not our burden. It becomes our delight.
We love God with everything. We love our neighbor as ourselves. This the foundation for our spiritual disciplines (our current sermon series). We want to pursue holiness like we saw last week, and we want to fulfill the Greatest Commandment.
And when we do so, we are able to live out the calling He has placed on us. The only way we can do this is through the truth that we have been loved first.
Christ has accomplished the Great Commandment first. He loved God with everything to the point of death on the cross. And He loved us through that cross. He took our place. He laid down His life.
Now, we are able to follow Him. We are able to live free as we have been freed. We are able to finally fulfill the calling that has been placed upon our lives.
Take some time this week and reflect upon the love of God for you. And by that love, may you be able to partake of the spiritual disciplines to love God and love neighbor.
Hope you can join me as I will do another FB Live video tomorrow @5:30pm. Pursue the Lord. Pray for one another. See you on Sunday for Lord’s Day Worship through Livestream!
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
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