Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Sept. 13, 2011

“What it Means to Truly Love”
“Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart." – Proverbs 3:2 (The Message)

As I sit and read this verse I am having a serious debate with myself – trying to determine which of the two elements, love or loyalty, needs the most recognition. Unfortunately I could not come to a clear conclusion so it looks as if I will have to divide this into two parts – Part one: Love! When asked by a so-called expert in law which commandment was the greatest, Jesus did not hesitate by saying that loving God was the most important thing and then to love others was a close second.
Loving God means to love, respect, cherish and treasure the things that He represents! Since He is the author and creator of life we are to respect and cherish life. All of life – not just the areas that we pick and choose. And since He is also the author and creator of law, principles and values we need to respect and honor His laws. That does not just mean giving them “lip-service” but to adhere to them every day
. Loving God also means to love, respect, cherish and care about His greatest creation – PEOPLE! Oops! God has thrown a wrench into the works there. How is it possible for us to care about people when they are malicious, deceptive, mean-spirited, unappreciative, greedy, and just downright ornery? Do you really want to know the answer to that? “While we were [still] sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Jesus showed His love in that while were all the things that I earlier described – He still died for us to make us better.
Do you want a great example of what love can do? Moses Mendelssohn, grandfather of the German composer had a hunchback. When he was young, he was visiting a family friend who had a beautiful daughter named Frumtje. She avoided Moses and even seemed frightened by his appearance. On the last day of his visit he climbed the stairs to her room to say goodbye to her. When he approached, she busied herself with her needlework. Her face glowing with an almost celestial beauty. Mendelssohn's heart ached. He made conversation with her, eventually leading to the subject that that filled his mind. "Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?" he asked. She answered, "Yes, I do, do you?" Mendelssohn's response was, "Yes, of course." He then went on to say, "You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord calls out, ‘This boy should get this girl for a wife, and that boy should marry that girl.’ When I was born, the Lord also said, 'But alas, his wife will have a terrible hump.' At that moment I called, 'Oh Lord, a girl who is humpbacked would be a tragedy. Please, Lord, give the lump to me and let her be beautiful." Frumtje was deeply moved by Moses' words. She stretched out her hand for Mendelssohn's and later became his faithful and loving wife. She would later have the privilege of holding her grandson, Felix in her arms!!
How easy it is to overlook someone because they do not look like us…think like us…believe like us. There are without question people who do not deserve respect. Jesus says, give it to them anyway. There are people who are just simply unlikable. Jesus says to care about them anyway. Who knows – maybe when they realize that someone cares about them they will become likable. Isn’t it worth a try?
Pastor J. T. Carnell