LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 22:37-40, 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. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Jesus

“Love God. Love people” (Dr. Ed Newton, Lead pastor at Community Bible Church). Jesus’ response to a lawyer’s question is important to understand and follow because it will help Believers to stop following Jesus with their lips and following vain ideas of worship. Once again, a question is asked in hopes it will trip Jesus up. These religious leaders have not a clue that the questions they are asking are being asked of the very Son of God: He was there when the Law was given to Moses. Jesus gives the answer to the question from Deuteronomy 6:5.

Nothing has changed since this interchange between Jesus and the lawyer. God has always wanted His people, those who have given Jesus their lives, to love and follow Him from their heart, with all their mind and every part of their being. That means those who follow Him are all in, totally committed to doing what He desires, totally committed to being obedient. For emphasis, Jesus added that this is greatest and the first Commandment. For emphasis, I write again that putting God above all else is God’s highest priority and He wants nothing to get in the way of this. Each time a Believer does something out of obedience, every time one acts in faith or acts because of their belief in what God’s Word says, it is because he/she has believed this commandment.

Sometimes that might require a public identification with Him even to the point of people resenting our declaration of faith in Him. The love God wants Believers to have for Him is to walk the narrow way regardless of resentment or mocking others may have toward us. It is a dedication to the righteous standards that He has established for His faithful followers regardless of the rejection from those who do not know Him and therefore, do not understand their commitment to Him.

That brings us to the second commandment Jesus spoke of – Love others as you love yourself. It comes from the idea that humans naturally love and care for themselves. Followers of God are to love all people! All people include our enemies, those who will make fun of you for your faith in Jesus Christ. As the days become more and more evil, this is going to play out more and more because Christianity is the enemy of evil. Evil is growing and the love of Believers is going to be tested.

Loving others included loving all Christian brothers and sister as God does. If we love God as we are commanded in the first commandment, we love all people as God does. We are to never compromise what He tells us to do and how to live and how to love in His Word. His love for His followers is unconditional; because of that our love for others must be unconditional, especially other Believers. I have said some unkind things about others and called some people some not so nice names. When I haven’t said it, I’ve thought it. Our governmental leaders have received many of those thoughts and words. I need to stop and spend some time discussing this with my Heavenly Father!

Anyone else need to spend some time with your Heavenly father?