Love... Is Prioritizing
‘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.’
Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)
Groups #1 & 2
“Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:48-50 (NIV)
Group #3
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
John 13:35 (NLT)
Group #3
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV)
Group #4
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
Group #5
I’ve not mastered prioritizing love. I KNOW the Lord is always #1, but sometimes I fail to LIVE like I know, regarding who to love (and love’s order). By the Word of God, here’s how I see it.
The Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit! True Christians agree and revere the Lord, although giving Him 100% of ourselves is a persistent challenge.
The neighbors around us and in our paths. Really? Even the mean and crazy ones? Absolutely! He put them before us for a wondrous reason: Love never fails.
Fellow Christians: our family in Christ is prioritized over earthly kin. Ouch! That’s an especially tough order, but it’s clearly what Jesus said and did.
Our birth (or legal) family is next. They’re not first, but mustn’t be neglected. Husbands love wives, and wives respect husbands. We must tend to our family in need.
Enemies and people we’d rather hate:(! I haven’t found any exceptions in the order to love… hard to love people. (Certainly not Satan, nor his forces.)
For many, the alignment of #'s 2 - 4 is hard to keep in order– but prayer, Bible time, and reflection will help us maintain God’s priorities.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Where do media movers and shakers, as well as fans and fellow performers (of other faiths or seemingly no faith) fit into the above hierarchy?
A surprisingly high spot: #2! Why should acts of love be focused on them?
Among these outsiders are God’s lost sheep. Our Father waits to run and embrace them. Your role is to show how much He loves them!
Love… Is Prioritizing (Part 58)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re all called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re all called to be models of Jesus. We all have gifts, talents, and a commission to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend DAILY BIBLE READING.
WARNING: Don’t focus on your favorite verses, because taken out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!