5 Mandates for the Godly ManSample

Do Everything In Love!

Luke 10:27 (NIV) says, He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 

The Lord tells us to love him so strongly, passionately, thoughtfully, and deeply for a reason, and that is, the more we know Him, the more we will naturally love Him. Being close to Him always means abiding in Him. Being in His Word daily, setting time to pray in secret places, and obeying what He has commanded us. If a man does these things, he will find that the Lord strengthens him and rejuvenates him by His Spirit. Our God gives us the fifth Mandate: to do all things in love because that will reveal and reflect Him in the world. Everything we choose not to do in love is saying, in effect, "You don't need to be seen here!" So, we ought to do all things in love. God has commanded it and the priority is loving Him with all we have!

As I think about “loving your neighbor as yourself“, a story of a loving uncle comes to mind. Upon hearing his niece's frightened cries and staring at an awful site, a fiery house, he couldn’t wait for the Fire Department. Derrick rushed into the house. Earlier, his sister had thrown two of her three children from the second floor down to him. But suddenly, she lost her balance and fell helplessly from the roof, unable to safely get her daughter down. Derrick didn’t think twice. He rushed in after his niece. He says, “Then, I got her, I took my shirt off and put it around her face so she wasn’t breathing any smoke and then I just carried her out, as fast as I could.” 

Not only did he risk his life, but he also gave her all he had—in this case,  the very shirt off his back. Derrick was seriously burned from the head down, but he said that he would do it again, even if he got burned worse or died trying.

When God says to do all things in love and love your neighbor as yourself, that means everyone from your trapped niece to an unruly co-worker! This is tough. How do we love our co-worker who is always complaining? How do we relinquish our rights to venting our anger, even during the heat of an argument? Or have the courage to rush into a fire to save a life? The answer is, you need all these mandates working in the your life. 

There is nothing more manly than a man with firm conviction, courage, and endurance who is marked by love!