The beloved physician Luke wrote concerning Jesus, “behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how do you read it?”, and in chapter ten and verse twenty-seven of his book Luke shared how the lawyer answered, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … soul … strength … and mind” where we read:
And he answering said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.
The verse reads, “And he answering said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind;” Luke began with the words, “and he answering said” or “and the lawyer responded and began to speak but uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “you shall love” which means “any person is to welcome, entertain, be fond of and love dearly” “the Lord” or “the One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, and the title to God the Messiah” “your God” which refers to “a person's Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “with all your heart” or “out of and away from every part of the person's soul or mind as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes and endeavors”, “and with all your soul” which means “”and out of and away from every part of the person's seat of the feelings, desires, affections and aversion, “and with all your strength” or “and with every part of the person's ability, force and strength”, “and with all your mind” which means “and with every part of the person's understanding, way of thinking, feelings and thoughts”. Luke shared how the “lawyer” answered Jesus that the “law” stated that a person was to “love the Lord their God” with all their “heart, soul, strength and mind”.
The verse continues, “and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke added the words, “and your neighbor” which means “and the person's other person and where two are concerned, the other (your fellow man), and according to the Jews any member of the Hebrew nation and commonwealth” “as yourself” or “in the same manner and likeness as the person loves themself”. Luke shared how the lawyer said it was written in the law that a person was to “love” their “neighbor” in the same manner as they loved themselves.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how the “lawyer” knew God's two main laws. People are to “love” God with all their “heart, soul, strength and mind”, and they are to “love” their “neighbors” in the same manner as they “love” themselves. Jesus said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (See Matthew 22:40). God knows people who “love” Him and their “neighbors” fulfill His “law”, and when they do as He said, their lives are better as well. Those who are wise will listen to and observe the “laws” revealed by the lawyer and yield their lives to Jesus Christ who alone is able to help them obey God's most important laws.
Next time Luke shares how Jesus responded, “you have answered right: this do, and you shall live”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment