Love Builds

Jesus said to love God with all your mind. Let your knowledge of who God is change how you love Him and love others.

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king...He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations...He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry...practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists...Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray...The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God. He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the LORD, as well as all the altars he had built...he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭33‬:‭1‬-‭16‬

Manasseh was a mess. He was crowned king at age 12 and proceeded to turn from everything he had been taught by his dad, Hezekiah. Arrogance and entitlement do not often help us draw close to the Almighty. Was it a great idea to give a teenager full autonomy and authority given all the temptations of the world? Probably not. Manasseh ignored God’s commands and mirrored the lives of many modern teenage celebrity millionaires who fall into a lifestyle of endless partying that leads to countless relapses and rehab clinics.

Manasseh's legacy, though, changes dramatically when he repents. He has a moment where he recognizes he was wrong, begs for forgiveness, experiences the mercy of God, and finally, the text says he knew God. Prior to encountering mercy, he did not know God. He certainly had a head knowledge of the Torah. He had heard the commands, but his knowledge of God had never touched his heart. Knowledge alone can be worthless information without understanding how it leads to love.

Manasseh repented and responded to God's grace by giving Him full control. The king of Judah bowed before the King of Kings. He humbled himself, got rid of foreign gods and idols, and made serving God with thanksgiving the center of his life. Consider how we can learn from Manasseh's life. Reflect on how knowledge is impacting you. We live in the information age. Is what you are learning helping you grow in how you are loving? Has faith become more of a mental exercise you run through than faith expressing itself in love?

How well do you know God? Not how many Bible verses you have memorized or how much Scripture you can quote, not how many Sundays you have sat in a pew or how great your giving record is, but how has knowing God changed you? Does the knowledge of who God is change who you are? Does remembering His mercy lead you to worship with thanksgiving?

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭

David said, know that the Lord is God and you are His. What does it mean to you to know God? When you close your eyes, how do you picture God? Is He smiling or frowning? Is He an old white man with a flowing beard? What do you picture? Does knowing God and all that Jesus has done for you on the cross fill your heart with gladness?

Followers of Jesus should be full of gladness and should worship Him with thanksgiving. Jesus once asked Peter a question about who would love more. He said, between a person who has been forgiven a little and one who has been forgiven a lot, which of these two will express love more fully? Peter said the person who has been forgiven more, and Jesus affirmed this as truth. Manasseh had made every mistake, but it made the taste of mercy that much sweeter and his commitment to God that much deeper.

If you are not full of gladness and enthusiasm to worship God, ask yourself how much you appreciate the grace in which you now stand. Why did Jesus have to die for you? Remember that you and Manasseh share similar stories. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. The thanksgiving we bring to God and to others comes out of an appreciation for the love we have received and the peace we have with the God who had absolutely no obligation to forgive our sin. To know God is to know compassion, kindness, mercy, grace, generosity, goodness, righteousness, faithfulness, peace, joy, hope, and love. To know God is to always have a reason to praise, for His mercies are new every morning and His love endures forever.

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth...before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark...Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken...and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-13

Are you someone who starts each day by remembering who God is and what He has done? The patterns of our lives will either draw us closer or push us away from God. Remembering the resurrection of Jesus can produce a renewing of gratitude and, in turn, a wellspring of joy. Remembering that God created the heavens and the earth and has all authority can give us the right perspective to start each day. Remembering that life is a gift and our time is short can help us to be present and live with purpose. Do you take the time to remember your Creator throughout the day? Do you hold fast to the knowledge you have of Jesus?

Solomon said that of everything you learn, the most important thing is to rightly know Him, which is the very center of fearing God, and to keep His commands. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God and love others. Wisdom is telling us that the knowledge of who God is should shape how we live and, when we connect this to Jesus' words, how we love.

“Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you...I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more...I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭26‬:‭2‬-‭23

To know God is to know mercy. So why would He be so harsh in how He judges the people of Tyre? Where was the God who saved Manasseh? God is not bipolar. He is righteous and just. It helps to consider the context of the relationship between Tyre and the temple of God that was in Jerusalem. It was Hiram and the workers of Tyre who had sent cedar and skilled craftsmen to build the temple of Solomon. The work done in Jerusalem for God had helped them prosper. But the knowledge of how Tyre could commercially prosper off Jerusalem's fall had caused them to celebrate the suffering of their former friends.

Knowledge should never produce apathy or encourage greed. God is telling them that they should have had compassion when Jerusalem was hurting and not looked at how it could line their pocketbooks. The contrast we see is in what they celebrate and how they apply the knowledge they have. David sang noisy songs to celebrate all God had done. The people of Tyre celebrated the opportunity to take advantage of other people's struggles for their own gain. Holy knowledge should produce hands that want to help and hearts of compassion. Is your knowledge, what is going on in your mind, the information you are consuming, and your awareness of God producing in you a desire to lift up others who are in need?

“We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God. But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭7‬-‭10‬, ‭12

The teaching of Paul today is so incredibly relevant for our current culture. If you finish reading and remember one thing, remember your Creator and that the fear of the Lord should produce humility in our hearts and thanksgiving for all He has done. Knowledge that puffs up is the opposite of what God wants. Jesus taught us to love, and love always builds up.

The goal of knowing God is not to elevate yourself. The goal is not to become someone whose knowledge is vast but whose love is limited. The goal of drawing closer to Christ is to love more like Christ. When Manasseh was facing death, he humbled himself and experienced God in a way he never thought possible. Mercy made him a new man. David had experienced the same grace. The man who committed adultery and killed his close friend knew how much he needed a Savior. David found it easy to worship with gladness and thanksgiving because of all he had been forgiven and because he knew how faithful God is despite his own failings.

Solomon said knowing God should lead us to see Him with reverence and produce in us a desire to do what honors Him in response. The people of Tyre used their knowledge for personal gain, loving how they could profit over helping other people. Paul is saying you can be right in your own eyes, or you can be in a relationship with God. But you cannot be both. Pride can simply ruin relationships. Arrogance is not attractive. Paul reminds us that even when we are right, we can be wrong in how we treat people. The question is not simply how much you know, but how what you know is shaping how you live and love.

Solomon said to remember your Creator and that the wise remember the embedded nails. Remember the cross. Remember the deeply embedded nails that held the hands and feet of Jesus. Remember the One who knew no sin but took your sin upon Himself so that you would become the righteousness of God. Like Manasseh, we have every reason to repent and celebrate mercy. Is it possible to remember the cross and not worship with gladness and be filled with overflowing thanksgiving? Do not let the knowledge of Jesus remain in your head when it was meant to transform your heart.

Today, worship the Lord loudly. Enter His presence with thanksgiving and let the way you love others reflect how much you appreciate God's grace. Let the knowledge of His generosity make you more generous, the experience of His compassion make you more compassionate, and the understanding of His love make you more loving. Look for someone you can encourage, someone you can serve, someone you can help. The greatest evidence that we know the God of love is a life that reflects His love.