The Lord Jesus has commanded all of us to love God with all that we have, and then to love our neighbours as ourselves. He was able to emphasise these commands not because He had a critical and thorough knowledge of the Word of God, but rather it's because He was able to live these out. He had one driving passion, which is to love the Father and do all His will. And because of this passion, He was able to love all men unto the end.
But in all our efforts to be like Christ in our love for God and for the people who God loves, we find that at times we fail. What made Jesus so successful and unflinching in both aspects? It's His focus on the Father's love.
The Lord Jesus did not mind whatever things people will think, feel, say or do about or against Him. He said in John 6:38, "I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will."
He was so focused on what His Father wanted Him to do, and He did not have any time for other things.
How about you?
Many of us confess that we love God with all our heart, but we often get affected by what others say or think about us. Some of us stop going to church just because of an unsavoury comment or show of hostility by a member of our family. Some of us stop sharing the gospel because the people to whom we share it often respond unfavourably. Some of us stop loving people because we get hurt by their rejections of our well-meaning and evangelism-inclined actions. These, and many other possible scenarios, are caused by the opinions or reactions of other people.
Have you experienced these? Have you lost your heart for God and for people because somewhere along the way somebody, even someone from your own faith community, hurt you or offended you with a response?
Friend, take heart. The Lord Jesus Himself experienced so much hurt, but He kept His eyes "on the joy that was set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2) and finished His work – the basis of our salvation.
The Jesus' way
Think about it. Jesus was ridiculed and mocked by Bible scholars. He was ridiculed by some members of His family. He was denied and abandoned by some of His disciples. He was innocent, yet we condemned Him to death. When He rose from the grave bodily, many still doubted Him. We could never top His level of hurt.
Of all the people in the universe, Jesus was the most hurt, the most ridiculed, the most doubted person ever. But He didn't care – He loved God so much that He went through it all for us to be reconciled to God.
