the Ultimate Command

In the busy lives most of us lead, few of us have time for reading, especially non-fiction. Those who are not motivated to do so in some professional capacity are hard pressed to find time to do more than skim and speed-read non-fiction works. Upon seeing the title of this book, one might see a subject that, like so many others, may seem overused. It seems obvious that we need to love, you might think. Like a person sitting through the same tithing message in church year after year, there are many subjects about which we feel there is nothing more to learn.

The Ultimate Command emphasizes loving God and loving others, an issue we hear about in church circles, on Christian radio, and elsewhere. Perhaps that is the reason why a specific book has not been written about such an obvious tenet of the Christian faith. Is it possible that we assume everyone knows the importance of love regarding our faith?

What we need to realize is the fact that, like many other subjects about which we may be jaded, we often have much head knowledge, but little application thereof. As I have heard many teachers say, there are roughly twelve inches between the head and the heart. And the evidence in our society suggests that among those of us who have forgotten how to love as God intended, just as many are being beaten down by life, bitter from past hurts, or too busy to practice what we believe in real life. Love is the most important part of being a Christian, and it is one of the basic principles of the Christian life that is paramount to becoming more like Christ. We will be judged more severely regarding how we love than in any other aspect – any element of our behavior or attitude of our heart – of our Christian walk.

Many of you reading this book may be experiencing doubts, confusion, and various crises in your lives. Maybe you are doubting Christianity, doubting God, or finding the Christian life to be more trouble than it is worth. I, too, have experienced doubts, even in the process of writing this book. I do not believe I have ever found myself in more dire financial or emotional stress in all my life than I have been while writing this book. Our economy has plummeted, jobs are scarce, and gasoline and other fuel expenses are outrageously beyond what is reasonable.

Our family has struggled to survive, and I have found myself fighting to remain hopeful, straining to keep afloat. At times, we have been forced to make very difficult choices, choosing between allowing utilities to be disconnected or to pay rent. We have been forced to seek local community resources wherever possible – all the while facing the continual stress of having special needs children who are in school systems with marginal resources to provide for their needs. On many occasions I have asked, “Why do you keep pressing us, God?”

In the midst of our struggles, I have had very little love to offer. Our drive, our desire to follow Christ, sometimes rises and falls with the circumstances we experience. But all the while, in the midst of God’s process of testing me, developing my courage, hammering me over and over with difficulties, I find myself longing for more of Him. When I am nearest to my blessed Father, that is when I feel His peace; His soothing presence washes away the anger and the bitterness and leaves me at rest. Like medicine for the soul, the Holy Spirit is ever present and ready to comfort me when I hurt.

In spite of the pain and frustration, there have been glimmers of hope, immediate answers to prayer, and gifts from strangers anonymously given to our family to keep us from going under. We hold on to these moments to get us through the difficult times, remembering how He has brought us through many times before. Though this is very humbling, especially as a man who longs to provide for his family, I know it is all part of the process of helping me grow. Though He cannot be seen, God is as real as the breath in my lungs and the electricity powering the computer on which I am typing this book. How quickly I doubt and forget all the hard times from which He has delivered me previously! May God grant you strength to endure whatever you face today.

I pray this book will help you experience God’s power as you fulfill the most important part of our shared faith. In focusing on loving God and striving to love others, may you be able to focus upward and outward and find your troubles less intense. If you focus your energy on love, on God, on sharing love with others, you will be transformed. As you turn your mind from your circumstances and toward God, may you find the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). And may God, through His Holy Spirit, help you apply what you read in the pages of this book to your life, not simply acknowledging the wisdom herein, but also willingly making changes as God directs you.