(Mat 22:34-37 NIV) Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” For the last couple of days I was dealing with “The Reverence factor” in prayer. For the next few days we will look at the “The Love Factor.” After commanding us to love the God (with all our heart, soul, and mind) and to love our neighbors (as ourselves), Jesus went on to say, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” That’s a big statement. It means that all of the Law of Moses (the first five books of the Bible) and all the teachings of the prophets basically boil down to two things: loving God and loving man. If we fail to walk in love we will be in sin and when we continue to walk in sin it blocks the Blessing from freely flowing in our lives. Living this way unquestionably hinders our prayers.
Kenneth Copeland tells a story of a vision he received from the Lord where he could see a man attempting to hang big beautiful curtains, but the curtains kept falling down. He realized that the curtains had words on them and each one meant something. The curtains represented faithfulness, peace, favor, grace, etc. The man in the vision was frustrated because he could not get the curtains to remain in place. As he would work on one, another would fall. When he would run to pick up that one, another would fall; and so on. The man finally cried out to the Lord in desperation. The response Kenneth Copeland heard was, “Hang the rod!” The man looked over and saw a huge golden rod. The rod was big enough to hold all the curtains in place and it had the words “The Love of God” imprinted on it.
I may not have told the story exactly the way that Kenneth Copeland saw it, but the essence is there. Everything hangs on the Love of God. If you get the rod of love in place, then the curtains of faithfulness, peace, favor, grace, etc. will hang in place. To attempt to receive and walk in the Blessing of God without the love of God is futile and it will lead to frustration. Too many believers are attempting to get things from God without really knowing Him at all. Don’t pursue things, pursue God. And guess what? God is love (1 John 4:8,18). So the closer you get to God, the more developed you will become in His love. If you pursue God and walk in love you will wake up one day and realize that the things you used to pursue are now actually pursuing you.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that nothing else really works—at least not for long—without the love of God in operation in your life. Don’t think that you can harbor bitterness, malice, strife, hatred, and unforgiveness in your heart, while still believing that your prayers will he heard and answered. Jesus simplified the message of the Bible for you down to two commandments: love God and love man. It can’t get simpler than that. If you do these two you are giving God His proper place in your life and you are, in effect, hanging the rod of love. Once you get love in place everything else will get in place and remain in place. And once you do, your prayer life will never be the same.
Closing Confession: Father, everything hangs of Your love. I declare, by faith, that I operate in Your love today. I hang the rod of love and I have my priorities in order. As I get love in its proper place, everything else will get in place and stay in place. Your love enables me to pray love-based prayers, which are prayers You hear and respond to. I release all malice, strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, and hatred. Love is the foundation of all that I do. Walking in love changes everything and it certainly changes the way I pray. From now on I will pray from a position of love, with prayers that are birthed from love, bathed in love, and waited for with the confidence that love provides. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
