Little Thoughts July 11th, 2024

   Love is the #1 theme of the Bible. Jesus said the most important commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind and soul” and added “Love your neighbor as yourself” as equal to it. 1 Corinthians 13 is a beautiful and beloved chapter all on love. 1 John 4 is filled with practical truths about love. John 3:16 famously says “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” But what about the Old Testament? It’s there too. 1 Samuel 18 tells of Saul’s son Jonathan who in response to David killing Goliath “loved David as His own soul”. Their “souls were knit together”. Jonathan had loved and obeyed God in believing God and killing 20 Philistines with just his armor bearer as help leading to a great victory. Now David is shown to have a similar passion for God and so the two make a covenant, a commitment to each other. They are close friends. You can’t commit yourself to everyone and love is a confusing idea in our world but it is important that we faithfully love in our world. Safe? Not always but the proper and needed thing. Real love is based in God. Are you loving God and other God lovers? Let us decide to do the most important thing.