July 2, 2022 -- Matthew 22:35-40 -- Wisdom and soul-winning
/People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 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. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:35-40 ESV
When you argue a point of Christianity on FB, do you argue as one who loves God and earnestly loves your readers? I fear this has been a failing of my own recently. It is the hallmark of Jesus, that He loved the people He spoke with and always told the truth. C. H. Spurgeon, in his book The Soul Winner gives this challenging illustration:
One fellow asked, “Did he preach a good sermon?”
The person replied, “What he said was very good.”
“But did you benefit from the sermon?”
“No, not in the slightest.”
“Wasn’t it a good sermon?”
Again the person said, “What he said was very good.”
“What do you mean? If what the preacher said was very good, why didn’t you benefit from the sermon?”
The listener explained it this way. “I didn’t benefit, because I didn’t believe in the man who delivered it. He was simply an actor performing a part. I didn’t believe he felt what he preached, and I don’t think he cared whether or not we felt or believed it.”
C. H. Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, page 59
What a heart-piercing illustration. Are we merely winning an argument? Are we merely making a point, so sharp you don’t care who is cut or hurt?
The God of Salvation sent Jesus, True God, True Man, to put flesh on His love and appeal to His people in deeply personal ways. This same God has poured out His Spirit so that believers will, like Jesus, make a flesh and blood, gracious, urgent appeal, leave your life of sin and follow Jesus. Do people hear your testimony and see you are living what you are saying what. Believers are called to live Gospel truth with deep love and compassion for their hearers. You are the only Bible many people will read—are you portraying the love of the Triune God so souls are won for Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, so the glory of the Father?
God of Perfect Justice and Perfect Love, You have declared,
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
and he who is wise wins souls”.
Triune God, help us, Your children in Christ, to be both righteous and wise.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Prayer based on Proverbs 11:30 ESV and Psalm 19:14 NIV.
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