God And Neighbor

Read Proverbs 14

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. 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 12:29-31

In answer to an honest question, Jesus provided a pair of central priorities for life. These two (love for God and love for neighbor) form an unbreakable bond. John recorded the following crucial test: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” (1 John 4:20).

Jesus taught in these “love-orders” that God expects a public as much as a private relationship with us. People think too often that they can love God without anyone else finding out. But secret love for God seldom lasts. Real love for God leads to love for those whom God loves. The order is important. The Son of God himself gave us permission to express love for him by loving others (see John 13:34-35). Think of your neighbor as the last person you failed to treat with love. That’s a good starting point to put this command into practice.

A WORD FOR TODAY

The greatest proverb—“Love God.”

Lord, please let me actually “see” my neighbors today. Help me move toward loving by the simple act of ceasing to ignore them. I want to learn to love you through them.