Once upon a time
Love was feeling poorly,
So he went to the Doctor
On Monday, bright and early
To see what alchemy would cure the pain
And light up the love in his life again.
In order to have a healthy love
A love that's warm and close
The doctor prescribed the giving of love
And if that doesn't work?
Double the dose.
-- Lionel Hartley
First published in Tiger's Journal, Christchurch, New Zealand, April 1998
The answer to any question
I was asked by the editorial team of the University of Canterbury's Response Magazine in July 1980 if I could write a single answer that could be used to answer any question.
Here is what I submitted for publication in the September 1980 issue:
"Here is my politically correct standard home-grown generic off-the-shelf domestic answer: 'Personally, I absolutely definitely feel that maybe it could possibly be the considered opinion that, taking everything into account, and weighing up all the pro's and con's, there is a general consensus that, as far as can be known, there is no conclusive answer to this question, as yet. Tentatively speaking of course, although I would like to stress that this is only my opinion and I'm not claiming this is the be all and end all as it's an interesting question that, at least, should stimulate debate.'
-- Lionel Hartley"
Here is what I submitted for publication in the September 1980 issue:
"Here is my politically correct standard home-grown generic off-the-shelf domestic answer: 'Personally, I absolutely definitely feel that maybe it could possibly be the considered opinion that, taking everything into account, and weighing up all the pro's and con's, there is a general consensus that, as far as can be known, there is no conclusive answer to this question, as yet. Tentatively speaking of course, although I would like to stress that this is only my opinion and I'm not claiming this is the be all and end all as it's an interesting question that, at least, should stimulate debate.'
-- Lionel Hartley"
A New Commandment
On my face book page, a reader asked, “What did Jesus mean when he said he was giving us a New Commandment (John 13:34)? What was wrong with the 10 Commandments that He had to give a new one?”
Immediately prior to Jesus telling the well-known story of the Good Samaritan, we read in Luke 10:25-28 “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 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. And he [Jesus] said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.”
A child was asked, “What was the first commandment?” To which he replied, “The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.” This is not what the Bible says.
The Ten Commandments can be easily divided into two sections — the first four (Exodus 20:1-7) relate to how we love God and the latter six (Exodus 20:8-17) relate to how we love each other. The lawyer’s answer encapsulated these two sections – the first with the phrase, “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 the second with the expression “Thou shalt love … thy neighbour as thyself.” So, in summary, the last six of Ten Commandments are (as it were) one command: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (See Leviticus 19:18). The Apostle Paul writing to the Church in Roman said, “… if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:9-10)
There was nothing wrong with the ‘old command’ per se, but the problem was in the way that we applied it. This ‘old commandment’ refers to a particular way of loving others — that is, as we love ourselves. Sadly, most of us don’t really love ourselves a great deal. True, we are naturally selfish and think of ourselves before others, but we often don’t take very good care of our bodies, our minds, and our spiritual condition. Jesus recognised this state of affairs and knew that a command to love others as poorly as we love ourselves was inadequate, since we didn’t really know what love is. Jesus came to demonstrate in a very tangible way ‘what love is.’ “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.” 1 John 4:10) Therefore He could say that the way we should love is not so much the way that we love ourselves, but the way that He loved us — unconditionally. This is what is recorded in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
In her book ‘The Desire of Ages’, author E. G. White penned these words in 1898, “In this last meeting with His disciples, the great desire which Christ expressed for them was that they might love one another as He had loved them. Again and again He spoke of this. ‘These things I command you,’ He said repeatedly, ‘that ye love one another.’ His very first injunction when alone with them in the upper chamber was, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ To the disciples this commandment was new; for they had not loved one another as Christ had loved them.” (Page 678)
-- Lionel Hartley.
Immediately prior to Jesus telling the well-known story of the Good Samaritan, we read in Luke 10:25-28 “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 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. And he [Jesus] said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.”
A child was asked, “What was the first commandment?” To which he replied, “The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.” This is not what the Bible says.
The Ten Commandments can be easily divided into two sections — the first four (Exodus 20:1-7) relate to how we love God and the latter six (Exodus 20:8-17) relate to how we love each other. The lawyer’s answer encapsulated these two sections – the first with the phrase, “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 the second with the expression “Thou shalt love … thy neighbour as thyself.” So, in summary, the last six of Ten Commandments are (as it were) one command: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (See Leviticus 19:18). The Apostle Paul writing to the Church in Roman said, “… if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:9-10)
There was nothing wrong with the ‘old command’ per se, but the problem was in the way that we applied it. This ‘old commandment’ refers to a particular way of loving others — that is, as we love ourselves. Sadly, most of us don’t really love ourselves a great deal. True, we are naturally selfish and think of ourselves before others, but we often don’t take very good care of our bodies, our minds, and our spiritual condition. Jesus recognised this state of affairs and knew that a command to love others as poorly as we love ourselves was inadequate, since we didn’t really know what love is. Jesus came to demonstrate in a very tangible way ‘what love is.’ “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.” 1 John 4:10) Therefore He could say that the way we should love is not so much the way that we love ourselves, but the way that He loved us — unconditionally. This is what is recorded in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
In her book ‘The Desire of Ages’, author E. G. White penned these words in 1898, “In this last meeting with His disciples, the great desire which Christ expressed for them was that they might love one another as He had loved them. Again and again He spoke of this. ‘These things I command you,’ He said repeatedly, ‘that ye love one another.’ His very first injunction when alone with them in the upper chamber was, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ To the disciples this commandment was new; for they had not loved one another as Christ had loved them.” (Page 678)
-- Lionel Hartley.
The Leaven of the Spirit
Today I was asked for a copy of a poem that I wrote in July 1997 that appeared in a local newsletter.
Here is the poem:
The Leaven of the Spirit
Lord, You are the bread of life.
Make me, Lord, a slice of thee;
May life for me be Spirit filled -
The leaven swelling up in me.
The silent unseen working
Transforming lazy flour
Into holy air-filled bubbling life;
Risen, baked, and given power!
So life no longer is a loaf
Of wasted energy.
Lord, may the crumbs I leave behind,
Draw other souls to Thee.
-- Lionel Hartley 22/7/97
Here is the poem:
The Leaven of the Spirit
Lord, You are the bread of life.
Make me, Lord, a slice of thee;
May life for me be Spirit filled -
The leaven swelling up in me.
The silent unseen working
Transforming lazy flour
Into holy air-filled bubbling life;
Risen, baked, and given power!
So life no longer is a loaf
Of wasted energy.
Lord, may the crumbs I leave behind,
Draw other souls to Thee.
-- Lionel Hartley 22/7/97
Choosing God
The hardest thing that God could do (assuming God has difficulty doing anything -- which I doubt), was to give us the freedom of choice (free to choose or reject Him). Because God is 100% love, it is the easiest thing for God to choose us. God makes every effort to make the choice easy for us to choose him. It is our fears and concerns that make it hard when we believe Satan's lies. Choosing God is the BEST thing we can ever do. Blaise Pascal wrote, "Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? ... If you gain , you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing."
-- Lionel Hartley ©2011
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