SUNDAY NIGHT WITH EKURWE
7 August 2022
Luke 10:25-28
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered:” ‘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, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” (NIV)
Welcome to part four of the exposition series on this all-important question- WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? As we had mentioned in the preceding series, this question is for all regardless of status as far as you are human. The horizontal relationship–‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ according to the law as explained by the expert was approved a correct answer and a standard for people that desire to inherit eternal life. The Bible’s story is about God’s love for humankind, and God expects that we demonstrate that kind of love to our fellow humans as people desirous of the kingdom of God.
Jesus in John 13:34-35 gave further reasons why we should love one another. He did not premise the conditions on the person to be loved, the person’s reaction, or if the person is loveable. Loving one another is because of the love we have received from Christ. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)
How does your availability to others reflect God’s faithful love and your Christian service? Christ loved us dearly and gave His life–in what ways can we follow His example by making time for others today?
Love means different things to different people depending on their situation. We should learn to put aside our differences and help those in need. We should not think about any man’s status, race or religion, but let us focus on the need to be met. This is the proof of a disciple and a Christian indeed.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Why is love greater than faith and hope? The actual test of our Christianity is our actions and who we are to others. Considering faith, it is about yourself and the assurance you have in Christ. Hope is our personal expectation in Christ about the promises we received or in stock for us. Love is what we have and is shown on another–God or fellow humans. So, whatever we do to others shows more about our obedience to God and makes us look like Christ.
“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 THE MESSAGE) Christians are expected to conform to a Christ-like style on a daily basis throughout our sojourn here on earth. Our love should not be hypocritical, frivolous, abusive or indecent instead; it should be divinely inspired and exude the aura of care and peace as long as it depends on us. The body of Christ should emphasize love, as this will go a long way in enhancing the effectiveness of our evangelism.
WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? We must love.
Keep a date with us next Sunday.
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