ON LOVE & RESPONSIBILITY 29 NOVEMBER 2018

Most of us have suffered from irresponsible people, & many of us have labored to teach our children responsibility. But where does responsibility come from?? The other day the Spirit taught me the answer: LOVE. All of a sudden numerous scriptures came to mind, and I saw their relevance to responsibility! The Father & Son both commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind & to love our fellowman as oneself. This was actually teaching us how to be responsible to God and others!

YASHUA’S STORIES. Yahshua told the story of the good Samaritan. (A) He was someone who took responsibility for a stranger’s needs. By the way, when I write about responsibility, I am contrasting that with the attitude of doing something as one’s duty. Our specific duties are quite limited compared to what we can have a sense of responsibility over. It was not the duty of the Samaritan to care for this stranger, but he had a loving sense of responsibility. Yahshua also told the story of the prodigal son who took responsibility for his sin. The son said, “I have sinned against heaven and before thee [his father]. I am no more worthy to be called thy son…”(B)

HOW WE FULFILL OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE LAW OF GOD. Christ came to set us free. “For you brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(C) “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (D) “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all especially to those who are of the household of faith.”(E)

FINAL THOUGHT. One of the clearest examples of this message is how the intense maternal love of a mother for her child, gives her an enormous sense of responsibility to her child. Let us seek to have more love that we might be more responsible to both God and our fellowman.

REFERENCES. (A) LK 10:30-37 (B) LK 15:17-19 (C) GAL 5:13-14 & verse 14 quotes LEV 19:18 (D) GAL 6:2) (E) GAL 6:19