Love - small word - big message

Today I have been thinking about knowing things.

Here in Scotland and Britain there is a great emphasis on being informed.

It begins in school days, when children are pressed to follow the set curriculum, and are tested to make sure they are progressing well and achieving a good standard of knowledge.

Then people leave school and either start work, go to college, or university.

Again there are induction courses, and training courses, and trial periods, and initial and annual reviews. There is so much emphasis on what you know and how well you do your work.

Even in church we can sometimes feel that to be a good follower of Jesus what we need to do is know and understand everything. Some people want to know everything about people. Others want to know everything that's been decided. Others are keen to study the Bible and know everything in there too.

One time a rich young man came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus said he should give away all his money to the poor and come travelling with Jesus. (Mark 10:17) It was too hard for the young man. He loved his wealth more than his poor neighbours.

On another occasion a lawyer asked Jesus the same question. Jesus replied "Love God and love your neighbour" and defined neighbourliness with the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

The answers Jesus gave were not complex and did not require a lot of learning or knowledge. To be with God forever is a question of love and not a question of knowledge or even of rules.

The Bible makes clear that God loves all people. But only those who return his love are invited into his family. Only those who love God want to be with him forever. Who would want to spend eternity with someone they didn't like. It's bad enough when you get stuck with someone you don't like on a holiday.

And if we love God then we will love everyone he loves too. Not just the other people in his family, but even those who reject God.

How can we love people the way God does?
By allowing the Spirit of God to permeate every part of our being.

The bread that we eat and the wine that we drink are absorbed into our body and feed every cell with the power and energy it needs.

So too, when we let God into every part of our lives He becomes one with us, and we become one with Him. Jesus said, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." (John 14:15-24).