PBPC Daily - Thursday, May 7

Good morning and welcome to Thursday. 

²⁸One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, 'Which commandment is the first of all?' ²⁹Jesus answered, 'The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; ³⁰you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." ³¹The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.'  - Mark 12:28-31

When asked what he considered to be the first or greatest commandment, Jesus responded with the commandment to love God with all of our being, and then added to it the commandment to love our neighbor as ourself (quoting Leviticus 19:18). By linking these commandments together, Jesus is telling us that we cannot do one without doing the other.

Indeed, while our love for God will lead us into a deeper life of prayer and intimacy with God, our active love for God will most often take the form of loving other people. Simply put, we love God by loving people. When we love people not simply in the form of affectionate feelings towards them but by serving them and seeking their well-being and blessing, we are doing the work of God. And we could also say that God is doing His good work through us.

Jesus goes on to define our neighbor not simply as our friend or family member, but whoever God brings into our life - perhaps even someone that we would consider an enemy.

'But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?' - Matthew 5:44-47

This may seem unrealistic or too much for Jesus to ask of us. And it probably is, from a human point of view. But the Spirit of Christ that is at work within us will allow to love in ways that we could not do on our own. Jesus models this life of love for us, and he calls us as his followers to step out in faith by beginning to love in the same way. The key for us is to take the step of faith, and then see where it takes us.

Who has God brought into your life that He is leading you to love today?

Have a blessed day,

Pastor Chris