Rabbi Schneider - How to Live Beyond Our Natural Limitations
Shalom Beloved. First John 3:23 says this, this is His commandment. This is the commandment of HaShem that we believe in the Name of His Son, Yeshua HaMaShiach, Jesus the Christ and that we love one another. Now, the truth is, that by nature, we are selfish. I know I am. I think human nature is by nature we're selfish. I mean let me ask you a question. When you eat, do you eat for yourself or for somebody else? When you want to go to sleep, do you sleep for yourself or for somebody else?
You see, we, by nature, are in the flesh and the nature of the flesh is selfish but God is calling us to a supernatural life to love one another. This is why Jesus said, "What good are you if you just love your friends"? He said even sinners love their friends. Why do we love our friends? Why do even sinners love their friends? Because being with our friends makes us feel good. It's not really something we are doing necessarily just for them, we like being with them. We love them because the way it makes us feel to have them as our friends, but Jesus said I'm calling you to something bigger. He said, "greater love has no man than this when a man lays down his life for his friends".
So He says this is the command of God in 1 John 3. That we believe in Jesus and that we love one another and to the point love involves sacrifice and sacrifice oftentimes is doing something that doesn't feel good. It means maybe visiting somebody that we don't necessarily feel like going to visit because we don't necessarily feel like we get that stimulated out of the visit but we do it because the person gets cared for, widows or orphans or friends that recently lost a loved one. Whatever it might be.
So let's remember that in today's culture, people can make Christianity about going to worship services where you love listening to the music and raising your hand and praise God, Baruch HaShem, for that. I love that myself but walking with Jesus is more than just feeling His Presence when the worship music is playing. Walking with Jesus involves loving one another and loving each other, beloved, involves sacrifice.
So let's strive to grow in love. Let's examine our own heart and let's ask Jesus to help us grow in love. By the way, it just came to me, I feel like the Lord wanted me to say this: one of the ways we love people is by being patient with them. So let's be patient with each other. This is Rabbi Schneider saying: Baruch HaShem, I love you and pass this on to a friend, maybe the Lord will bring somebody to mind to pass it on to.