I have spent a great deal of time the last two weeks reflecting on the importance of loving our brothers and sisters in the Body of Messiah. Please allow me to share very candidly from my personal experience, as I believe that I am not alone in my observations.
I have been studying the Torah for around five years or so, and it must be said that they have been some of the most difficult, yet most rewarding years of my life. There has arisen many frictions among friends and family members, yet many new relationships have been forged as well.
As I have progressed in my knowledge of the Torah, as well as in my own personal observance, I have often had to stop and make sure that I have done things for the right reasons.
For example, a couple of years ago, my wife caught me looking at pornography online. Because of this, I decided to begin wearing tzitzit. At the time, this only made sense, especially since the command was given as a reminder so that you do not “follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot.” (Numbers 15:39 NASB)
On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with my motivation. However, in looking back, I really didn’t deal with the issue. My heart is still sinful and wanting to play the harlot all the time. By attaching tzitzit to the corners of my garments without first allowing the work of the Spirit to take hold in my heart, I merely masked the issue.
This is but one example. I could give many others, but for the sake of time and space, I will not. My point is this: I have noticed that in our movement, we are often very quick to resolve issues on the outside long before we give the Father a chance to expose our hearts for what they are and then allow Him to change us.
Where all of this really came to bear in my own life was just a couple of months ago as it really began to become evident to me that I don’t love people in the Body. In fact, for the most part, I don’t even like people in the Body. I got to the place that all of my externals proved that I was better and more righteous than just about anyone that I came into contact with, and because of that, people just weren’t worth my time or effort.
Thank God for His exceeding grace and mercy! He slowly began to reveal to me that if He treated me the way that I deserved, or even the way that I treated others in my heart, I would truly be a far cry more miserable than I already was. It is only when I began to realize that I can’t love God on my own that I really began to love God. Hand in hand with that revelation is the fact that I can’t love people apart from relying on His grace to do so.
According to 1 John 3:14, if we don’t love each other, we are dead. Yeshua said repeatedly that we must love and forgive each other. In fact, the banner of our discipleship hangs on our love for one another. We are known as His followers primarily by our love for one another.
So what does all of this mean? Well, I have to tell you that for me personally, all of knowledge of the Word of God and halacha and everything else has to take a second seat to actually living the Word. I love to study, but as the sages say, “Great is the study that leads to action.” Oh that we would have more action and less talk in our movement. That Yeshua would be seen as our Master because we love one another.
