Only two commandments...

So, I mentioned earlier that God's command is that we walk in love and that in fact, "love is the fulfillment of the law" (Ro13:10). It reminded me of Matthew 22:37-40 which says, "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." Only two commandments, that should be easy enough to handle. If then I understand correctly, all the dos and don'ts have to do with love.

I decided to look at the 10 commandments and see:
1. no other gods - love God
2. no graven images - love God
3. Not misuse His name - love God
4. Sabbath day - Date with God
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5. Honor parents - love parents
6. not murder - love enemies
7. not commit adultery - love your wife/ husband
8. not steal - love your neighbor, family, stranger
9. not lie - love your neighbor, family, stranger
10. not covet - love your neighbor, family, stranger

But Jesus took it a step further. In John 13:34-35 He says, "A NEW command I give you: Love one another . AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

A relationship is not about dos and don'ts..... a relationship is about love. In the 10 commandments, God was just trying to explain to the former slaves how to show love. He had to write them in a way they could understand and dos and don'ts was all they understood at the time. God doesn't want formalism, He doesn't want bench warmers in church or smooth christian talkers. GOD WANTS TO BE LOVED. Haven't you heard it said, "don't just tell me you love me, show me."

So, how can we show God we love Him? By reading the manual on His love language and doing what it says. If your girlfriend/boyfriend said, "spending time with me tomorrow evening would really show me you love me", would you think it a huge burden? If they said, "my love language is gift giving", would you not want to buy them gifts to show them your love? Jesus said ".... whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25:40). God is overflowing with love for us and he knew we could be a little dense at times, so He wrote us a love letter to remind us of His love and He also gave us major clues on how we could show Him love. When we love our neighbors, God feels loved.... When we spend time with Him on Sabbath, God feels loved... when we feed a poor person or clothe a stranger, God feels loved... when we take care of the sick or visit orphans, God feels loved... (Mt 25:37-40).

I will say it again, God doesn't want a form of love. He said in Isaiah 1:11-17 "... stop bringing meaningless offerings.... seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow" this is how you can show me you love me. And in Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Basically, 'if you don't love me, your gifts are meaningless to me." Show God you love Him by doing everything in love (1 Cor 16:14).

Obedience, commands, love... for centuries a tangled mess of words that never seemed to fit together. Why is this concept so hard to grasp?

Father remove my preconceived ideas and open up my heart to your love. Teach me how to love you more each day and to understand these often confusing subjects. Show me that love is not a set of rules, it's a relationship. Help me not to just say I love you, but to show you that I love you.