July 14, 2023: The Greatest Commandment

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36, ESV)

A wealthy young man approached Jesus one day and asked, "Which is the greatest commandment in the law?" What is the most important commandment in the world? Jesus gave him two keys to the Kingdom of God. The first: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." The second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 
    
These two commands are inseparable! You can't do one without doing the other. Can we just be amazed for a moment as we think about these two commands? If you do them both, you are keeping all of the law and the prophets! It is in keeping them that others see God's goodness and experience God's love through us.  
    
Loving God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our mind is loving God with everything we have. Loving our neighbor is like the first command. We are to use the same intensity! These two commands are not suggestions that Jesus hopes we will do. They are commands that He expects us to obey. They are also easy to keep when you are filled with the love of God. You actually look for ways to love others as you encounter them. May we learn to love well, both God and others.