British Weekly Pulpit Luke 10:27 And he answering said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength… There was once a catechist preaching in China, and as he was teaching, a Chinese coolie came in and said, "What is that in your hand?" The missionary said, "It is a measure, and it is like your measures, it has got ten divisions" (the Chinese do not divide into twelve inches, but ten). "What do you measure" said the coolie. "I measure longs and shorts — long hearts and short hearts. Sit down and I will measure you." The coolie sat down, and the catechist began to measure. He took the first commandment, "Thou shalt have none other gods but Me." "Is your heart shorter than that commandment, or longer?" The Chinese man said, "Oh, I am afraid it is very short." As the catechist went through all the Ten Commandments the poor man found his heart was too short, and did not come up to any of them. The catechist said, "You see your heart is too short. How shall we make up the deficiency? who will supply what is wanting?" Then he talked to him about Jesus Christ; how He would make up his shortcomings; how Christ's obedience was as if he had kept the whole law himself. So, perhaps, some child will say, "I cannot do God's commandments." Do not say "I cannot"; it is not a good thing to say "I cannot." There was a poor man, and his hand was all withered and powerless; and Christ said to him, "Stretch out your hand." Could he? Not before Christ told him; but when God told him to "stretch out his hand," He gave him power. When God tells you to do those things you cannot do of yourselves, He gives you power. "God's biddings are God's enablings." Supposing you got a piece of cold iron, and I said, "Make me a pretty thing out of that." You would say, "I cannot bend that cold iron; melt it, and something might be done." Your heart is like a piece of cold iron, and what will melt it? Love, that will make your heart soft, and then you can keep "God's commandments." God says at the beginning of the Ten Commandments, "I am the Lord Thy God." Which is the important word there? "Thy God." If you cannot say "My God," you cannot keep His commandments. If you keep these commandments, you will become happy, holy, and useful. (British Weekly Pulpit.) Parallel Verses KJV: And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. |
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