Evaluating 40 Days of Community

“We’re compelled to love God’s family…because it is how we love God.”

I would reword this as follows: “…because it is the evidence that we have experienced God’s love and received and appropriated it.” If merely loving God’s family is how we love God, then why did God give us the first commandment? Why not just give us the second one or tell us that the first was a commandment and the second was showing us how to obey the first. But He didn’t do that. He said that all the law hangs off of these two commandments. And again, we show evidence of our love for God by loving others. Not try to prove it, evidence it — ie., what already exists. If we are not overwhelmed with love for one another, perhaps we need to remind ourselves what we’ve been saved from.

…stop judging others according to appearances and start viewing them from a heavenly perspective (2 Cor 5:16).

I agree here that we must not judge according to appearances because Jesus explicitly states this (John 7:24, NASB) “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Grace and truth must go together.

• How will you explain those times when projects or things were more important to you than people?
  • Change question to: …more important to you than God, and therefore His command to feed His sheep and do good to all?
• Who do you need to start spending more time with?
  • God.
• What do you need to cut out of your schedule to make that possible?
  • All things self-serving (entertainment, time-wasting, reading for entertainment, trying to get ahead in life, improving self-esteem, etc.).
• What sacrifices do you need to make?
  • Take up my cross daily. Feed His sheep. Clothe the naked with Christ’s robes of righteousness. Proclaim freedom from sin and death. Invite people into a relationship with the creator and saviour.
• What does the way you show love to others say about your love for God?
  • It demonstrates whether or not I believe the gospel and have faith and live by faith in God.