Jesus
said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39
Here we see Jesus
quoting from the Old Testament regarding the first and greatest commandment
given to man. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Mark and Luke include
the word ‘strength’. For some reason Matthew doesn’t. Regardless, the point has been made; this is
what man owes God; first and foremost
to love Him. If we love God we will be
inclined to obey Him. No, inclined isn’t
a strong enough word. We will be compelled to obey Him. We will be driven to obey Him. If we truly love God in the Biblical sense we
will strive to please Him in all we
think, say and do. Love fuels the fire
in our hearts. Love causes us to exhibit
qualities that reflect our Lord; things like kindness, mercy, forgiveness, humbleness
and selflessness.
The second greatest command is to love your brother. This comes from Leviticus 19:18 which says “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself: I am the Lord.” If we love our neighbor the way we love ourselves
we will seek the welfare of those around us.
We will break out of our comfort zone and do for others just as Christ
has done for us. This is what we owe our
fellow man. This is how they will know
we are followers of Christ, that we are not self-seeking, but rather selfless, having
no regard for ourselves. If God meets
our every need, that should free us up to serve others, shouldn’t it? Stop focusing on yourself and put your focus
wholly on the Lord. He is our hope and
our salvation. God alone can see us
through this maze called life. Until next
time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
References used: The Peoples New Testament, Westminster John Knox Press (January 25, 2010) and
Barnes Notes, Kregel Classics; 8th edition (June
30, 1962).
