How to Sing of our Love of the Lord

[Bible Verses]

Mark 14:3-9

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

II Samuel 7:2-16

he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."

Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."

That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:

"Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" '

"Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
" 'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' "

[My reflections]

If I were to pick two people who expressed their love of the Lord the best, I would pick, in the New Testament, the woman who broke her alabaster jar of very expensive perfume to pour it on Jesus' body and, in the Old Testament, David, a man after the heart of the Lord(I Samuel 13:14) who looks at what is inside a man's heart (I Samuel 16:7). David's expression of love reached its peak with his desire to build the Lord's holy temple. Upon hearing this, the Lord promised that He would build David a house that will endure forever. A common thread in these two people's love of the Lord is that their love was expressed on the body of the Lord. Their love was expressed on the body of the Incarnate Lord or on the temple, symbolizing the body of Christ. With such expression of love, both the woman and David received blessings beyond measure.

We can similarly express our love of the Lord, by loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord, who make up the church, the body of Christ. The Lord said that whatever we do to the least of the brethren is the same as doing it to the Lord (Matthew 25:40). And He gave us the new commandment to love one another (John 13:34-35, I John 4:21). If we are not reconciled with our brethren, the Lord would not accept our worship (Matthew 5:23-24). If we do not love our brethren and if we say we love God, then we are being liars (I John 4:20).

How often we sing of our love of the Lord! If our praises are to be pleasing to the Lord, then we must first begin with loving our brothers and sisters.