This post first appeared in September of 2012 as a devotional from Barclay Press. To read the post on loving God, click here.
““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
In today’s Scripture, Jesus responds to the Pharisee’s question by quoting the Shema with the addition of the Golden Rule (found in Leviticus 19:18). Many times the Golden Rule is spoken in the negative: “Don’t do evil unless you want evil.” In this passage, I hear Jesus speaking in the positive: be kind, give, assist, help, welcome, and love your neighbor.
Recently my wife Monica saw this lived out. A cashier at a grocery store was ringing up a customer who appeared to live on a very limited budget. The customer bought only the basic essentials in the generic store brands to save as much money as possible. She reached her budgeted total, but there were still some other items left to be rung up. The customer informed the checker she could not afford those extras. The checker finished the transaction, but then she proceeded to ring up and pay for the remaining items for the customer.
Helping others is costly, in this case for the checker as she gave up some of her own money. Sometimes it is dangerous—someone’s pride could get in the way or the act could be misinterpreted. As kingdom builders, we have decided it is worth the risk to love our neighbors because we love God and they bear the image of God. And if we truly love God, we cannot help but love our neighbor.
I pray that your heart was changed this week as you got a glimpse into my community
Prayer Suggestion: May we all join in prayer for those churches that are working to build multigenerational communities, loving others, and living their lives for Jesus.
-Pastor Rick Ellis
Pastor at Friends Community Church