Love: The Ultimate Action Verb

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘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. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40

God commands us to love not just Him, but people as well.
For many of us,  this is easier said than done.
Why would He ask us to do this crazy thing called love? Why is love so important?
To love is to take the ultimate risk. It means exposing our hearts, thoughts and emotions.
It means putting the ones we love before us, to set aside selfish inclinations and self preservation.
After all, isn’t this just what God the Father did?
He  loved us first, and then Yeshua HaMashiach (God the Son) came down: the incarnation of love itself, He lead us by example.
He never asks us to go anywhere, or do anything He hasn’t done first-starting and ending with love (the verb).
He chose each of us to be in relationship with Him,  (why I have no idea) sacrificing His One and Only Son- for us.
Consider our true value to our Father (He paid the highest price for us because He loved us first!) and yet many,
so many, reject Him to their detriment usually for reasons that have nothing to do with Him at all…

But that’s just the half of it; it’s the loving people part that’s in my opinion the hardest part.
People are messed up. They are broken, sick, dysfunctional, and sometimes annoying.
They disappoint, gossip, betray another’s trust, take advantage of others’ kindnesses.
They can be loud, sloppy, inconsiderate and truth be told, I know a number of folks
who actually don’t even like most people, much less love them…
Hurts and betrayals by those they had loved and been close to have caused them to retreat into themselves
and pull up the “draw bridge” . To them the very idea of  bearing another hurt or loss is unthinkable.
There are also those who use the word “love”-as a manipulative tool as the means to an end.
Here’s the thing: Yeshua commanded us, commanded not suggested-!
So what are we to do?
Beloved, ask God to help you look past their flaws and brokenness- extending agape love-
in the same manner as love has been extended to each of us.

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