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 12:30-31 NLT
One day, a teacher of Jewish religious law asked Jesus which Old Testament law was most important. Jesus answered by directly quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which says, “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
But Jesus didn’t stop there. He went on to explain the other most important commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This second great commandment, which is found in Leviticus 19:18, is defined very simply in Romans 13:8: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
On a practical level, loving your neighbor as yourself means treating people with kindness, patience, and hospitality, showing respect and civility to those with whom you disagree, and making it a point to help meet people’s needs.
Loving your neighbor from your heart helps other people, and it puts you in position to receive God’s blessings.
Prayer: Jesus, I want others to see You in me, so help me love from my heart and in my actions.
One day, a teacher of Jewish religious law asked Jesus which Old Testament law was most important. Jesus answered by directly quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which says, “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
But Jesus didn’t stop there. He went on to explain the other most important commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This second great commandment, which is found in Leviticus 19:18, is defined very simply in Romans 13:8: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
On a practical level, loving your neighbor as yourself means treating people with kindness, patience, and hospitality, showing respect and civility to those with whom you disagree, and making it a point to help meet people’s needs.
Loving your neighbor from your heart helps other people, and it puts you in position to receive God’s blessings.
Prayer: Jesus, I want others to see You in me, so help me love from my heart and in my actions.