Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
Observation: Jesus was able to pretty much sum up the entire will of God in theses two commandments. Love God & Love People. When you think about it, it’s almost impossible to do one with out doing the other. Loving God 1st is the only way to really love people. When we truly love God with all our heart, mind, soul, & strength, he fills us with His love, and His love overflows out of us to show true love to those around us. People who say they love God but treat everyone around them like garbage… well I would question if they really love God they way Jesus called us to.
Application: They way I treat people should be a great barometer or gauge of my walk with God is how I treat people. If I’m just plain being a jerk, or yelling impatiently at people in traffic, or thinking horrible thoughts about people, there is a good chance it stems back to if I am doing the things to having a close relationship with God or not. I find out that the closer I am and the more I love Him, I’m just a little more pleasant and a little more patient. When your in love… everyone’s your friend. You’re in a good mood and nothing can spoil your day. It should be the same way with me if I’m in Love with Jesus.
Prayer: God- Help me to love your most precious creation… humanity. If I truly loved them the way You called me to, I would be broken hearted toward their sin and would do everything I could to point them to a loving God that wants to rescue them. I’m sorry for the times I’ve missed out on the chance to love others because I wasn’t really even loving You. Loving You with everything… with all my heart, mind, soul, & strength means I am not living in sin. It means I remove the things that weigh me down. Help me to do that everyday. Thank you for what you’re doing in our church. Continue to move in Generation Grace. Help us to have big faith for the things You promised us. Let our faith overtake our doubt.
