A Call to Action
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:36-39, ESV
I regularly post daily tapings on my social media accounts. Occasionally, I review each platform to respond to comments. One particular day, I found myself scrolling through posts from others, and before I knew it, thirty minutes had passed. I was so disappointed! My spirit felt heavy from all the negativity I had absorbed, and I regretted wasting the valuable gift of time that God had given me on something unproductive.
As I sat there with an empty feeling inside, I began to call on Yeshua. I simply said, "Yeshua, Yeshua, I need your help." I knew I needed to write, but I didn’t feel like I was in the right space. As I called on Yeshua, I heard Him say, "Write about love." I hesitated. "After everything I just listened to, You want me to write about love? I'm not sure I even feel love right now." Then, He shared with me the scripture above and told me to title the devotional "A Call to Action." Immediately, I understood. Most people see love as a feeling, but that is not what Jesus meant when He commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
The Bible defines love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
We are not called to love based on our feelings because, if we’re honest, we don’t always feel like being patient and kind—even with our family members, let alone those who mistreat us. Our feelings have little to do with the assignment Yeshua gave us. He demonstrated love even while we did everything possible to go against Him. He died on the cross for our sins, giving us the opportunity to choose life.
The times we are living in make it especially challenging to love others. However, we must remember that the command to love was never something we were meant to do alone. Yeshua sent the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill this assignment. He never sends us where we have not been equipped. I know that when you hear or read certain news stories that rattle your spirit, love is often not the first feeling that arises. But Yeshua demonstrated that the love He calls us to is a love that always shows up—a love that moves us into action.
Following the second greatest commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves—requires us to ask the Holy Spirit to help us move beyond our emotions and walk in the love the world so desperately needs today. This journey of love with Him is an opportunity for great growth and intimacy. The more we depend on Him, the greater the reward in this walk of love.
Key Takeaways:
Love is a call to action.
The call will require sacrifice and sometimes pain.
Love is not dependent on how the receiver chooses to respond but on how you choose to serve God.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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