36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)
Yesterday, we looked at the topic of being conformed to this world (meaning to be like the world) or being transformed by God (which means being like Him). We've been talking about discovering the will of God, and how we must be doing the will of God for our lives. We started looking at Matthew 7:21, where Jesus says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." There are many, many people who call on God, who sit in church and do not even know what the will of God is. Jesus didn't come to die on the cross so that you and I could just say a prayer of salvation, then go on living in sin like we did before that prayer. Unless there is a change in character, then that prayer meant nothing. Let me give you an example from Scripture.
We read this in Luke 19, "And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." (KJV) Here we see a tax collector. These tax collectors in Jesus' time was hated by many because they often stole extra taxes from people. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, one who had risen up the ranks. He probably cheated many people to become wealthy. Anyway, Jesus was passing through, and he wanted to see Him. The fame of Jesus had spread, and many people were crowding around to see Him. Zacchaeus had to climb a tree just to see Jesus. Jesus called him down, and ate in his house. Zacchaeus had an encounter with Jesus. Look at what happened after Zacchaeus had that life changing encounter. Verse 8 says, "And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." He was prepared to give away half his wealth, and restore fourfold what he had stolen. Was Zacchaeus the same after Christ as he was before Christ? No, he wasn't. And we should not be content with being the same sinners we were before we met Jesus.
When asked what the greatest commandment in all the Law was, Jesus replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:37-39)." The actions of Zacchaeus followed these commands of Jesus. He proved his love for God by giving to the poor, and he showed his love for others by giving back 4 times the amount he stole. He gave up his wealth for Jesus. How do you prove your love for God, and your love for others? Is your love just words, or is it proven by actions? Think About It.
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