[Devoted1]

"Love For A Land Of Confusion"
By: Zach Wood
Matthew 22:36-39
"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.'
1 Corinthians 13:6-7
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


The greatest command given to us is to love God first and foremost. The second greatest is to love others. Love is a word that has been disguised and hidden from its true meaning in the world we live. I don't know how many of you are fans of Phil Collins music, but there is a song he sings with Genesis called, "Land of Confusion". The words of the song represent an exact problem scenario of what the world thinks of love. Here are a few lyrics I feel are worth noting:

Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can’t you see
This is a land of confusion

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we’re given
Use them and let’s start trying
To make it a place worth living in.
(Genesis "Invisible Touch" October 25, 1990)

Sadly, I believe this song describes what our world sees as love. There are too many people causing problems in the world instead of showing God's love. Guess what? WE are the people causing the love problems. As you note in Matthew 22: 36-29, one of the Pharisees tested Jesus with a question and Jesus replied with a powerful answer! It's very important that loving God came first as Jesus stated. There is no way possible to love other people with God's love if we cannot love God Himself first. We must love God first with everything in our being in order to effectively show love to others in this land of confusion. We live in a land of confused people who do not know what love truly is! The world needs to see love and they are NOT seeing it as they need to! What is the matter with us? I have come under the conviction that it is time to stop focusing on ourselves and all the little petty things we do not like. We must take the focus off of ourselves and put the focus completely on Christ, His love for us and others and show that love to a lost and dying world.

1 Corinthians describes a beautiful aspect of love like no other chapter in the Bible. We are told that, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." What an amazing discovery this world needs to see lived out in us! Love rejoices and celebrates with TRUTH. And that truth is only found in Jesus Christ! Love is not found in movies, TV shows, or magazines. Most of what comes through the media is lust, not love. I once heard someone say, "The world spells love 'LUST'". True Love is only found in God and His Word.

This is the world we live in and we've been given a responsibility to make it a place worth living in. I don't think Phil Collins could say it any better. I don't know about his spiritual life or if he has one, but he has got a tremendous point in this song. We are living in a chaotic land of confusion. There is not much love going around and that is a serious problem. A couple of weeks ago, our church youth group and sponsors attended a Christian concert which featured Audio Adrenaline as one of the main groups. I can't help but think of their song, "Hands and Feet" when I think of the love the world needs to see from us as Children of God. We need to be the hands and feet of God reaching out to a lost and dying world that is totally confused about what True Love really is. When people start to see true love from God flowing from us, they will see that God's love protects, is totally trustworthy, that it always hopes and continually perseveres. Will you and I be the carrier of this True Love?