If you love me, keep my commands. – John 14:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 14, 2014): John 14

In 1995, relationship counsellor Gary Chapman published his book “The Five Love Languages. Chapman argues that we can only receive love according to how we perceive love internally. According to Chapman, it is not important how the giver likes to give love; what is important is how the receiver has learned to understand love. If the giver gives love in a manner that is not the love language of the one receiving that love, then the communication will not be completed and the one receiving the love will not feel that they have been loved – even though the giver of the act of love will feel that they have shown love. Chapman lists his love languages as gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service and physical touch. Author Mindy Meier argues, possibly with a dose of sarcasm, for food being the sixth love language. But Chapman insists that there are only five. So Chapman instructs couples that those that we love not only need to be shown (instead of being told) that we love them, but they must be shown love in a love language that they innately understand.

Jesus would seem to argue that God’s love language is “acts of service.” The Bible, both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Testament, repeatedly puts forth the idea that in the eyes of God, obedience is more important than sacrifice. Jesus simply says it this way - if you love me, do what I have told you to do.  

The problem is that we seem to keep forgetting the instruction. We seem to keep wanting to buy off God, or to just spend quality time with him (by being in church on Sunday and at Bible Study some other time), or maybe it is the physical touch of our devotional life that is the way that we communicate love. And none of these things are bad. In fact, if we love God we will do all of these things. But they will not be the motivating factor of our love. What will motivate us is that we simply want to do what Jesus has told us to do.

And one of things that Jesus repeatedly told was to love. It is the overwhelming message of Jesus. Anything that is not love is not what Jesus told us to do – which means even if we bring our tithe into the church, and have good church attendance records and maintain our devotional time with him, if we are not loving others then we are not following what Jesus has commanded us – and we are not showing our love to him in a way that God understands.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 15

Note: New messages have been added to the VantagePoint Community Church Webaite. You can find the Links below.

October 5, 2014 - Messy Spirituality - Messed Opportunities (Speaker - Garry Mullen)
September 28, 2014 - Messy Spirituality - The Mess of Sin (Speaker - Garry Mullen)

You can find the Link Here.

July 6, 2014 - Eight - Getting Wet (Speaker Garry Mullen)

You can find the Link Here.