Deeper Life #77

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

—Mark 12:30–31

AFTER YOU START TO LIVE a holy life, I defy you to tell me how God is going to lead you. I defy you to tell me how God will lead anybody. We fall into great error when we get censorious and vindictive about other people’s Christian experience. By meddling in their matters, we displease God.

Let me raise a hypothetical situation: Suppose that you are entirely sanctified and so am I. God brings us into a crisis. You have a solution, but I have my own idea. I decide that unless you see it my way, as far as I am concerned, you are wrong and not as spiritual as I. This unnecessary encounter is impudence and God will punish me for it.

The standard of holiness is that I love my neighbor as myself. But I am not loving you as myself when I presume to tell you what God wants you to do.

Prayer Thought: As You have loved me, Lord, help me to love others.

SUGGESTED READING: Mark 12:28–34