Day 1: Love Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:34-40

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “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.”

Comments

Jesus had an incredible ability to make complex things simple, without being simplistic.

There were more than 600 laws in the Scriptures and the Pharisees scrupulously tried to observe them all. Unfortunately, this extreme attention to detail often had the unintended consequence of keeping them from seeing the big picture.

Reflections

How would you respond if someone without any church background asked, “So what is Christianity all about?”

Would your response be clear and concise  or would you stammer through something incoherent while maintaining  a “deer-in-the-headlights” look?

Prayer

In these coming days, Lord, speak to me about what it means to love you and to love my neighbor. Open my heart to hear what you are saying, and give me the courage I need to follow through on what you ask me to do.