Loving the Lord

[elijah23]

Jesus said the great commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matt 22:37 RSV)†I believe that means we need to develop a personal relationship with the Lord. However, I’ve been told all we need to do is obey is commandments, using this Scripture as justification for that belief:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. 1 John 5:3 RSV

These people seem to ignore the preceding verse:

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 1 John 5:2 RSV

I don’t think obeying the commandments is good enough. We really do need to strive to develop a personal relationship with the Lord. It isn’t good enough for parents to follow commandments. They also have to develop personal relationships with their children, and so we need to develop a personal relationship with the Lord, I believe.

 

[ArielIrene]

Jesus said the great commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matt 22:37 RSV)â€

I've read that many times over the years, and You're right about having an intimate relationship with the Lord and how that is key to this commandment as well as to everything we do.

Recently, I was meditating on this scripture when I saw something that startled me so, I sat straight up with my mouth open. It is an equally-important second key to this passage, and had eluded me for years; even though I've been teaching others a long time.
The conundrum is that what I suddenly "saw with my understanding" is an old truth that I already knew. :o

Here is the elusive second key:
The words from Moses' Law; big as day, are quoted at least three times in Matt. 22: 36, 37, and 39, being "greatest commandment of the law", "on these two hang all the Law", and "first and great commandment".

Perhaps I'm dense. The Law of Moses, which no man has ever been able to keep, is the topic of discussion between Jesus and this Pharisee; I incorrectly interpreted verse 37 and thought they were a revelation from Christ of something we have the ability to do.

Gee, I hope I have made some kind of sense here. Please share your own thoughts, if you like.
There's got to be a sermon here somewhere.

 

[DrFrank]

Re: Loving the Lord and the Holy Spirit

"We really do need to strive to develop a personal relationship with the Lord." This can only occur when God sends His Holy Spirit to us in a miracle experience called the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit," which is completely different than the water baptism ceremony.

 

[elijah23]

Re: Loving the Lord and the Holy Spirit

"We really do need to strive to develop a personal relationship with the Lord." This can only occur when God sends His Holy Spirit to us in a miracle experience called the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit," which is completely different than the water baptism ceremony.

There is nothing to stop us from striving to have a personal relationship with the Lord, is there?