More Than a Feeling

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More Than a Feeling

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The command that we love one another is nothing new to those who read the Bible on a regular basis. Typing the word "love" into the search box at Bible Gateway brings back 329 results in the New King James Version. We are told to love God, to love His commands, to love one another. In John 15:12, Jesus says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  In John 13:35, He stated, "”By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What do we think of when we think of love? For many of us, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is falling in love: a special person that we come to adore. For most of us, thinking about love prompts us to think about a feeling, a tenderness of heart, a smile when we think of that person. We desire that person’s well-being. We want them to succeed. We want good things to come their way. But is there more to it?

I think there is. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The indication here is that there is far more involved than simply feeling loving: that love should motivate us to do something, to keep His commandments. There is action involved. It is no surprise, then, that throughout the New Testament the concept of concern and love for our brethren is closely linked to service, to doing something about their needs. Christ, after all, loved us in far more than just feeling: He gave His life for us. He said, in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

In Romans 12:9, Paul writes, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” In Hebrews 10:24, Paul instructs us to “...consider one another in order to stir up love and good works...”

In 1 John 3:16, these ideas are solidified. John writes, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Likewise, James--linking faith and works--wrote in James 2:15, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them,“Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

Loving others – especially the household of faith (Galatians 6:10), but by extension all mankind – is a matter of deeds, then, and not just feelings or words. We are called to follow Christ’s example, not by necessarily dying for someone else, but by daily choosing to lay down a part of our lives for someone else. When we love in deed, it means that we choose to give up something we would rather be doing at the moment to come to the aid of someone else. We give up looking after our own needs in order to espy the needs of others. We give of our energy, time, money, and goods in order to ease the burden of another person. And if we are following Christ’s example, that other person is likely to be someone who doesn't look as though they  “deserve” our sacrifice. After all, Christ died for us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). None of us deserve His sacrifice. In like manner, we must be careful to serve all in love, not just the people we like. James 2:9 tells us that showing partiality is sin.

When we love our fellow man, we demonstrate to God not just our understanding of His word but our understanding of how He thinks. We demonstrate, too, a desire to please Him above pleasing ourselves, and we gain His approval by our conduct. In Hebrews 13:16 Paul writes that we ought not “...forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” In 1 John 3:14 we read, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.”

Let us continue to grow in love towards our brethren and towards all mankind. In doing so, let us remember not to simply rely on feeling loving, but also on performing acts of love, that our faith may be demonstrated not so much in our profession as in our action. Let us remember to lay down our lives daily for the sake of our brethren in the same way that our Lord and Savior laid down His life for us before we knew Him or could love Him. Let us make our love more than a feeling, but rather the hard evidence of what we believe.

 For more information on the Sabbath, read the Bible study guide: You Can Have Living Faith.

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Comments

  • KARS
    Thank you Jake. The same to you.
  • Jake
    Greetings Kars, May you have a prosperous, secure and happy new year-Rosh HaShanah Shalav! And, may your coming feast days and Holy Days be blessed. Shalom, Jake
  • KARS
    Thank you Jake for asking your questions. I re-looked at Mr. Hardison's post. At the time it did not have the scriptures posted so I was puzzled. I have taken a look again and now it's there and makes more sense. I know that we all must develope a good habit of worship in our lives consisting of the Two greatest commandments. Love God. Love nieghbor. When this learning comes the love chapters of the Bible in the O.T. and N.T. Without studying these chapters we will not know how to become more Chirst like. Thank you one again Jake for your taught provoking questions. Have a good Sabbath day.
  • Sabrina Peabody
    Hi all, The Sabbath command to me shows love to God and would be considered part of the "first" commandment out of the "two great commandments." It is not man's tradition as are other days that mainstream Christianity keeps, it is ordainted by God since creation. I also agree that all things should be tested and proved based on the Bible--just like the Bereans. It would be important not to take just any man's word for it if it doesn't test up to God's Word.
  • Jake
    Howdy Kars. The quote is correct. None of it indicates to forsake the Sabbath. In comparing the choice Larry speaks to contrasted to the "choice the brethern have made for years", here is an idea you can use to see which one follows the teaching of Yeshua. Yeshua said there are two great commandments. Is Larry referring to the 2nd one in his examples about how "we trample over the Sabbath(s)"? Could it be that we are to treat all humans as we want to be treated? Is it our place to dismiss them by making a judgement, for our convenience, that they "are not called"? Does saying "choice the brethern have made for years" (tradition?), make this right? Finally, you ask "...should I question what is being taught?" Did Paul have something to say about this when he spoke about the Bereans? Are these brethern you speak of greater than Paul?
  • KARS
    "turn away your foot from the Sabbath,From doing your pleasure on My holy day,And call the Sabbath a delight,The holy day of the Lord honorable,And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure,Nor speaking your own words,Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord..." Mr. Hardison, I have a problem with your quote above. You have indicated to forsake the Sabbath day. Please re-read your quote of the scriptures. As for going out on the Sabbath day for food is a choice brethren have made for years. Some travel great distances to be with the brethren of God for Sabbath services. They need food to travel hour/s for traveling home. Now, they could bring a ice chest of food I suppose or they could have a pot luck every Sabbath so they will have a meal to go home on. I was told that this people that work on the Sabbath are not called by God our Father so it's ok to get some food for the journey. The men lead the women; so should I question what is being taught?
  • Larry Hardison
    Loving one another is, for a fact, a commandment. However, when emphasizing love we most often forget that we are to love God our Father first and foremost. To do that we must be obedient to the Father's commandments and statutes - not just those we find convenient, 1 John 5:3. The Sabbath has always been recognized as THE test commandment, and, by way of keeping it, one of the easiest signs of our love for God our Father. He inspired Isaiah to write that we are to "turn away your foot from the Sabbath,From doing your pleasure on My holy day,And call the Sabbath a delight,The holy day of the Lord honorable,And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure,Nor speaking your own words,Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord..." Isaiah 58:13-14. We fail the test when we trample over the Sabbath(s) by shopping for food in restaurants, checking in and out of motels, having caterers and contractors work for us or our congregation on God's holy Sabbaths. This is what got Israel kicked out of their land so many centuries ago. Is that what you want for you and your family? I don't.
  • Preou
    When I think about love as a feeling, I think about so many of those teenage girls who look for love in boys who tell them they're beautiful and valuable. So many girls don't have a Dad actively envolved in their lives to validate them emotionally. They go lloking for love and end up emotionally abusing themselves and letting themselves become targets of emotional abuse by the boys they chase after. Hollywood sells this idea of romantic love at all costs, not only in the movies but in the actors as well. We need to do a better job as parents in guiding our teens as to what real love is a choice and an action we do to build relationships, and then feelings will follow, So much in our culture is about instant gratification and feeding self happiness at all costs. It's hard to parent this well to teens.
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