A Vacuum of Love
McManus makes a few cool statements in this chapter (so, what else is new? this guy seems to breathe great quotes!):
In our own way we are all trying to find our tribe.
I guess we're all part of a tribe -- a family -- a community. The next few sentences are even better, although they're so simple:
"When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment is, His response was simple and straightfoward: 'You are to love God with all yourheart, soul. mind, and strength.' And then He added, 'And you must love your neighbor as yourself.' It seems Jesus simply couldn't restrain Himself to one commandment, but gave His inquirers two of them. Maybe it's because He couldn't separate the effect that connecting to God would have on our relationship to people."
You think? Yes. We were made for community ... and loving and knowing Him really increases our capacity to love those around us.
"Really, Jesus is saying that the most important thing to God is love. Love, it seems, has two arenas where it's played out -- in our relationship with God and in our relationship with people. What's on God's heart is not a list of rules or commands, but the expansion of love ... All God wants for us in this is that we live inhealthy, loving relationships."
While this might sound easy, our experience certainly shows us it's not, huh? The vacuum of love McManus brings up here (and titles the chapter with) can happen with parent/child relationships and other relationships. It certainly highlights the prominence and importance of our parent/child relationships. Wow.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at August 29, 2007 12:58 AM