"All You Need Is Love"

"All You Need Is Love"

Scripture: Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALL 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 NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.

(Matthew 22:6-39)."

One of the most popular words in the dictionary is probably love. We find ourselves saying it all the time. We love certain kinds of foods, certain beverages, flowers, certain types of music, clothing, furniture, sports, and the list goes on. Although we have choices about loving material things or not loving them, we don't have a choice about the kind of people we choose to love. God has made it plain and clear that we are to love everyone because everyone is our neighbor.

We find here in our text that a lawyer asked Jesus "Teacher which is the greatest commandment?" We know that on the tablet of stone that God gave to Moses that there were 10 commandments. However, the Jews actually had 613 laws. There were 248 do's and 365 don'ts. Now that was a lot of do's and don'ts. Can you imagine trying to figure out what to do and what not to do? But listen to what Jesus said to the lawyer. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Then he told him that this was the greatest commandment. And he said that the second was like unto it "Thou shalt love your neighbor as yourself." He told him that on those two commandments hang all the law and the prophet. In other words Jesus was saying that if we could keep these two commandments, we wouldn't have any trouble keeping the rest.

What God is still trying to get us to understand today is that all we really need is love. For if we should gain everything in the world and not have love, we really haven't gain anything of value. As Christian men and women we should search our hearts and ask our Heavenly Father to help us love our sisters and brothers. It is time for us to drop the foolishness and begin to love one another as God has already instructed us to do so. Whatever we have within us that is causing us not to grow in love, we need to get rid of it. In Paul's letter to the Hebrews Chapter 12:1, He says to them"Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Love for our Heavenly Father and for one another is the force that will allow us to run this spiritual race that God wants us to run every day of our lives. Yes someone may have hurt us, angered us, and perhaps even caused us to experience a lot of unnecessary disappointments. But as Christians it is time for us to build bridges and cross over to the other side and leave those ill feelings toward one another behind us. Is there anything worth causing us to lose out on making Heaven our eternal resting place? We should be like Paul for he said "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 7:38-39)." All we need is love and everything else will fall in place.

If we know that we have something in our hearts that is blocking us from loving everyone, we need to ask God to take it away. He will hear our prayers and take away the hurt, pain sorrow, rejection, humiliation, and anything else that is causing us not to walk in love the way God desires for us to do. When we have that love we can sing the words to this song"Love Lifted Me."

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more
But the master of the sea, heard my despairing cry.
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.

Refrain
Love Lifted me!
Lovw lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love Lifted me.

All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I'll cling
In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sings.
Faithful loving service to Him belongs.

Refrain
Souls in danger look above, Jesus completely saves.
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He is the master of the sea, billows His will obey.
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.

Refrain

All you need is love, ask God to fill your heart right now with His precious love. Your life will never be the same.

Frances Boomer
Boomer's Ministry