Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread":

What’s wrong with the world?

The Lord Jesus Christ has His answer: “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12).

Love is the problem? Or the lack of it?

Could we translate that to mean that people are disobeying the holy law of God? Yes, of course that’s true. And they need to be warned?

But is it wiser to say that people are disregarding the holy law of God because they do not truly know that “love of God”—what it means?

Could it be that instead of needing again to be warned people need to be won?

If we had a kind of meter that could determine the extent of our true obedience (like a thermometer determines how warm we are), it would register the awareness there is in our soul of the love of Christ; and that would directly correlate with the extent of our obedience to the law of God.

The reason? “He who loves another has fulfilled the law. ... If there is any other commandment [it] is all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10; that is not teaching we should love self; Luther got that right long ago: now you love others as you have always previously, naturally, loved yourself).

Our “love-thermometer” is not to measure our love for Christ; it is to measure our appreciation of His love for us.

We are not saved by our love for Jesus. We are saved by His love for us.

We will gain an incalculable blessing if we will get on your knees and spend “a thoughtful hour in contemplation of the life of Christ, especially its closing scenes.” Let His love, not yours, wash through your soul. Don’t begrudge the time!

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.

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