The Impact of Love

May 23, 2011

Jesus answered, “The foremost [commandment] is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

The primary thing. We are all looking for the thing that is primary—what matters most. Jesus lays it out: Love God and love your neighbor. God wants to steer us away from all the secondary issues so we can get back to the simplicity of loving and acknowledging Him. Then, He wants to extend His kingdom through each one of our lives to reach a hurting world.

A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things. ~ St. John of the Cross

Impact. Some of the most amazing impact we’ll have in society is going to come from an unassuming, genuine surrender of time and effort to just let people know we care. Then, instead of taking credit as do-gooders, we say, “Have I told you about my Jesus?”

The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5b

Love. God wants to translate our actions into a communication of His love. But the enemy of our lives is working hard to dull, distract, and numb us so that we live far below our privilege and potential. That’s why it’s essential for us to return to our first love—Jesus. Only then can we reach out with courage to strategically engage a detached and lost world. Love God. Love your neighbor. It’s the paradigm that could revolutionize this era.

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.