Friday, March 22, 2024
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest? He said to him, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. Matthew 22:34-40
A Complete Love
In Matthew 22, Jesus is being challenged by a Pharisee, an expert in the Law. They were always looking for ways they could trick Jesus into making a mistake and showing neglect for another area of the law. He asked Jesus, Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest? Jesus answered Him - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
Jesus answered with the most important command, and the one that all other commands flow from. Love God. Love others.
If we are Christians, and we are living The Jesus Way, everything we do is based on our love for God. If we love God, then everything in our lives will align with Him. If we love God – we will keep His commandments and obey him. If we love God, we will love others out of the overflow of our love for him and his love for us.
Jesus’ words tell us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We are to love God with everything we could possibly muster to give Him. We are to love Him with our whole being. And right under that command is love others as we love ourselves. This statement means that we are to be as concerned (or more) for our neighbors needs and interests as we are for our own.
The abiding presence of God’s love in our lives and passing that love on to others marks us as His own. When we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us – something we could never do on our own. Love is the greatest evidence of God’s presence and work among us. Some believe His works of power are the greatest evidence but there is no greater power than that of love. Love will always be a part of where God is and what He is doing.
How do Jesus words call us to love God and others? How will you do this?
So how are we called to love God and others? With our whole being – heart, soul, and mind. We are called to love with an authentic, real love. We can do this by getting ourselves out of the way. Who is it in your life that needs to know the love of God today?
