Fullest of Love

            Love, what is your concept of it? Do you understand its real depths? Its rewards? Its sacrifices? What about its differences?

Most of us have a general concept of it or at least part of that concept. Mere human understanding is insufficient to grasp its real depths. Oh, but that’s not true, some of you will say. Really! When was the last time you fully understood YaHVaH, the Father, Yahoshua, the Son, and Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, in everything? I mean in all totality? Well, that’s what you have to grasp to understand the real depths of Love, because Elohiym is Love. The ultimate manifestation of Love. However, do not be discouraged because some of that depth is within our grasp. Love’s rewards? Well, number one is eternal life if you accept the Messiah as your Master and Savior. Besides that, the rewards are peace, happiness, and much more. Sacrifices, hmm! I would say top of the list is sacrificing by not doing the pleasures of sin. It means always doing the right thing, even if it hurts us or our own pride.

Yahoshua said in Mt. 22:37-40, “Thou shalt love YaHVaH thy Elohiym with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it is this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. In these two commandments all the law is contained, and the prophets” ROSNV. That simple statement explains that the entire Old Testament hinges on one thing, LOVE! Paul said in 1 Cr. 13 that Love is required with faith, knowledge, prophecy, gifts, and good deeds. Without Love “I am nothing,” are his words which is the Word of YaHVaH. He expresses that Love is the greatest of all things. That matches the Messiah’s own words in Matthew.

Let’s attempt to grasp some of this from Matthew. First, Love YaHVaH with ALL your heart, soul, and mind. The heart is the seat of our true feelings. Therefore, we must truly give of ourselves to YaHVaH, believe and trust in Him, and not reject Him or His Word. Our soul, well how do I describe this as there are various understandings of what the soul is? How about, it is the very essence of our life; thereby, we should commit our very essence and existence to the service of YaHVaH. Our mind is the seat of our thoughts, our reasoning, our knowledge, our control of our bodily functions, and so on. I have heard it said that reason is in contradiction to YaHVaH. That’s odd, He’s the one that gave us reason. If we truly used our reasoning, as we should, it would fall right in line with the Will of YaHVaH. Reason is simply our thoughts put into a way that makes sense to us.

Everything starts with our thoughts. That is why Paul says to “cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of [Elohiym], bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah” 2 Cr. 1:5, KJV. This is of huge, vital importance. Our thoughts become our reasoning, then our knowledge, then our actions. Continued, they become ingrained in our hearts and then into our souls. If our thoughts are of Love, then our reasoning and everything down the line will begin to be of nothing but Love. Love will rule. This is truly what the Messiah and Paul are trying to point out. Let Love rule in all you are.

In Love, we always look to what others need, not ourselves. By this, we know that to truly Love YaHVaH, we must be obedient to His needs and Will. In Love, we follow His commands not because He said them, but because they are from Him, the One we Love. We sacrifice everything for Him out of Love, please Him out of Love. Why? Because He first Loved us. His Love is greater to us than ours can ever be to Him, yet one of the rewards of Love is that those who Love each other share a deep relationship.

What about Love thy neighbour, you may ask? The total reality of this is that everyone is our neighbour, so we should Love everyone. Have you ever considered how to Love someone who hates you? Sometimes . . . maybe? Here is one of my experiences. I went over to a good friend’s house one day, only to find him mad at me. At that moment he hated me and wanted to beat the stuffing out of me. I did not know why at first. I knew in my heart that I had not wronged him to the best of my knowledge. Although I did not realize it at the time, what I did was show him Love. He attacked me and started to hit me. Most of you would probably have fought back.

Yet, what I did was to totally disarm him, by expressing to him, “I will not fight you. You may beat me up if you wish. I will not run.” At first, he thought I was being a coward I suppose, but when he saw I just stood there and took the blows he began to wonder why. I didn’t cringe, back down, or any of that, but faced him fully aware that I had nothing to fear. I had not wronged him. It did not take him long to realize I was not being a coward and he stopped. Then, he let out why he was so mad at me. My brother had lied and said I cursed him with words that equated to calling his mother a female dog. I had not done this and told him such. I don’t know if he ever confronted my brother later, but Love won over and he no longer hated me. I never held a grudge about it, but rather I embraced him and we remained friends for years after. You may say that’s a friend, he’s more understanding than others. Well, I have used this principal on various occasions with ones I have never known and with true enemies. It works in all cases where you have done no wrong. Even in verbal arguments it will work. Show Love.

Love means you don’t hurt others intentionally. What of self-defense? Yes, by all means defend yourselves, yet use your reasoning out of Love. Ask yourself as you go, am I defending myself for my pride or out of necessity? Reasoning and Love can win more battles than just simply fighting to be fighting.

Do you understand how all the commandments are brought into the ones of Love? I’ve shown you the ones relating to YaHVaH, now your neighbour. Every command in the Old Testament that says for us not to do something to someone else is because of Love. If we truly Love our neighbours, we will not do to them what we would never do to ourselves. For instance, who wants to murder themselves, not many, so why murder others? You would not steal from yourself, so why others? You would not want others to have sex with your wife; thereby hurting you, so why would you do so to another’s wife? So on and so on.

Here’s one you may not think of, the one to care for the poor. No one that I know wishes to starve themselves. If you do not wish to starve, then do not let others do so when it is in your power to help. Remember reasoning though, Love does not require you to deny your own needs; therefore, do not give what is necessary for your own survival. All of us though can survive doing without a few meals (fasting) to help someone who is starving not of his own choice. Those who are choosing to starve by wasting their money and stuff on unnecessary things such as drugs and alcohol should be Loved in a way that helps them get off the drugs and alcohol. In Love, it is our duty to lead others in making better choices for their own lives, just as we would do for ourselves. Only through this can Love bring hope, yet it is still their choice, so do not try to force your will on anyone. This too is Love, because you would not want another’s will forced upon you.

One of the best things about Loving your neighbour is to never hate the person. Hate their thoughts, hate their actions, hate their sins, and hate their choices, but Love the person just as YaHVaH Loves. Be longsuffering and patient.

Love is what brings our lives completeness. I exhort you all = LOVE to the fullest of your ability.

First published 2005, © 2005, 2017

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