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Wednesday, 9 January 2019
Love perfectly

We share a calling on our lives to love perfectly. It is risky to love at all, much less perfectly. Begs the question, "What is perfect love?" The answer can't be so simple as to put it in half of an RR, or can it? Let's start with the greatest commandment (in Yeshua's words) to love God with all.

Deuteronomy 6:5 starts with "all your heart," but that must not be enough. Then we are commanded "with all your soul," meaning your intellect, character, and personality. But that must not be enough either, because the scripture concludes with the Hebrew work Me'od'e'cha. The E'cha at the end means it's yours (possessive). So what is Me'od? A few possible English translations would be "very" or "much" or "very much."

Here again, what is your "very much," and why was this a necessary addition to the greatest commandment? The command is to love God leaving nothing out, holding nothing back. We are called to reach the finish line with nothing left in the tank.

While there is an emotional component to love, (What is love without emotion?) it can't be only emotion (passion). Yeshua gave us the example of perfect love. Love is self-sacrificing for the benefit of the object of your love.

Yeshua put it this way ... John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." He also said ... John 15:13-14 "No one has greater love than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."

These words were being spoken from the pulpit when I accepted the call of Yeshua on my life. "If you were on trial as a believer, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" I don't know why that pricked my heart. I had never been a believer. Maybe it was just the idea that one day I (and you - this is about me, but it's not about me) would stand before God and have to give account. I wanted then, and still want today to live according to the command to "love perfectly." How about you?

I'm asking rhetorically, "Are you in?" Rhetorically means you don't have to answer me, but you do have to answer. You will either answer yourself now in the affirmative, or you will answer God in the great bye and bye. Can you really see yourself telling God, "I was too busy with other things that seemed urgent at the time." Urgent is what is important to someone else. Do what is important to you and (Deuteronomy 6:5) "Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." ... and do it perfectly, completely, leaving nothing out, holding nothing back. Amen.

Posted By Rabbi Michael Weiner, 11:00am Comment Comments: 0