Matt 22:37-39 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
No one can so eloquently condense and simplify all of Bible in just couple of sentences! In verse 40, 'hang all' means, rest of scripture simply depend/rely on adherence to these two commandments. WOW!
Btw, why is this a New Commandment? If this is so critical, why did Jesus wait this long to spell it out? Yes, He could have but that would have been just theory in moral principle without any measure or benchmark. Disciples each would measure according to the 'love' they had known in their life. Rather, Jesus first demonstrated the kind of graceful, unconditional and sacrificial love that disciples have never seen/experienced before, not just towards them but all. How true it is when Luke reports in Acts 1:1 of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. Not teach and do but the other way around.
Direct, Simple, Straightforward commandments, yet so hard! You may feel offended if I ask any of you "Do you love God"? Like Peter, we take pride in loving Him more than others and even compete in manifesting it through actions like attending Church, ministering, using our gifts to preach, teach or worship, offerings and charity etc. Make no mistake, these are good for a Christian life as in James 2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But, seriously asking, how do you measure your personal love for God?
Well, Jesus has only one measure!
John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another
Do you have a lone ranger mindset in serving God? Your love for God is measured directly proportional to your love for one another, seen not just in words but in deeds of daily life. How you measure up? You can never prove to God or to anyone the measure or meaning of your love unless it is seen in the way you love your brothers and sisters. While Salvation is very individual, Serving in HIS Kingdom is not meant to be that way. Paul, the most anointed, gifted, called, sent and used man of God never had the "Spiritual Superhero" mindset. That's why he wrote,
Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Growing together in serving is the organic way of staying healthy in the long run both spiritually and even physically. An extra long hand or extra large eye is never healthy. You may greet everyone by shaking hands but that does not mean foot is any lesser part to play; you cannot walk with your hand. Yes, its that simple.
We as a body of Christ come together to do a part, each of us are called to do in building His Kingdom. But, at the end of the day, we all are laborers, bond-servants aka slaves in HIS Kingdom as Jesus took the form of a bondservant/slave in the first place to salvage you and me. We simply follow His footsteps.
Phi 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Would you love people you come across in daily life, like the way Jesus loved?
Not tomorrow, start today! A journey of 1000 mile starts with one step, take that today!
Blessings for the day and week ahead!
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