Day Twenty
1 Corinthians 16:22
If there is anyone who does not love the Lord, a curse on such a one.
Reflection
In the Old Testament, God says "I set before you today a blessing or a curse." We have freewill. We can either be blessed by our decisions or cursed by them. The importance of loving the Lord is highlighted in today's Scripture. It is not "okay" to not love the Lord: It is a sin, bringing with it a curse! The footnotes for the Jerusalem bible point out that the Greek word used for curse is anathema, which means "condemned." All the lost souls in hell are anathema because they did not love God. St. John of the Cross wrote, "in the evening of life we will be judged by love."
It is possible to be quite busy with "Christian" things like bible study, singing in a worship band, going to church, going to young adult activities, etc., and still not love the Lord. We need to examine our hearts: do we really love the Lord or are we just going through the motions of a Christian life, while continuing in some kind of "hidden" (not to God) sin? Let's start anew today to turn away from all sin and really love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Prayer
Lord, I have not loved you as I should. I repent of my tepidity and lack of zeal for your glory. Enable me to love you above all things and to love all people through you.
Amen.
