Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
What did Solomon and The Lord Jesus conclude was the singular purpose in life? Fear God, obey Him, and love people. Fear God and love Him. Fear God and love people. That is the summation of the law and the prophets, according to Jesus. That is the answer for all of the complex issues that Solomon sought to understand, but failed to. By fearing God and loving people we are obeying God. Even when we find ourselves in seasons of trying relationships, it is vital that we seek to resist thinking unloving thoughts and speaking unloving words. Instead, we need to go before The Lord and pray for His love to fill us with God-glorifying wisdom and grace-filled words.
We all know how unlovable we are, don’t we? Do any of us want anybody else to see the darkness and unloving attitudes that are often lodged in the depth of our souls towards others? Why do we dislike that person that we know nothing about? Why do we insist on putting some people at arm’s length and on our probation list? They hurt us. Have you ever hurt anybody? They said nasty things about me. Have you ever said nasty things about somebody? Granted, there are times when it is simply wise to break close ties with people. But it is never wise, right, or godly to stop loving them, praying for them, and leaving the door of reconciliation open. Even Jesus commanded us to love our enemies! (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27) “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor” (Romans 13:10).
The question is not who is right or who is wrong about how you handled this, or about that situation, but are you praying for and looking for a loving, God-glorifying resolution? You are never more like Jesus than when you get pinned to a cross by others and can pray for forgiveness for the very ones who have crucified you. So, my parting thought for you today, beloved, is this. The fruit of The Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22-23). How’s your love life?
