Love Rules

Jesus said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself "

Won't you be my neighbor...

Today Scripture:

One of the teachers of the law...asked Jesus, "Which of the commands is most important?" Jesus answered, "The most important command is this: 'Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second command is this: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' There are no commands more important than these."

Mark12:28-31

Teachers of the law, called scribes, were Pharisees who spent much of their time debating the meaning of Scripture. One question they were frequently divided over was "Which of God's rules is most important?" The scribes didn't debate just God's Ten Commandments, they argued over 613 rules that they derived from the first five books of the Bible, 248 "thou shalts" and 365 "thou shalt nots." To settle this argument, or perhaps to try to drag Jesus into the debate, one scribe asked Jesus this popular loaded question.

Jesus began his answer by quoting the Shema: "Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord." (The Shema is a traditional confession of faith that is still recited today every morning and evening by devout Jews.) After demonstrating his knowledge of tradition and Scripture, Jesus demonstrated his wisdom. He boiled down the Ten Commandments, and even the 613 precepts, to one life-changing principle: love.

Instead of focusing on rules, Jesus told the scribe to focus on relationship. By loving God and others, every one of God's rules is fulfilled. Loving God with everything you are - with all your emotions, intellect, and energy - is what gives you the desire and the wisdom you need to love others well. Anytime you're in doubt as to what God wants you to do in a given situation, ask yourself, "Right now, how can I love God and others best?"

Selah people' and friends the word neighbor literally means "the one near you." As you go through your day, consider how many neighbors you encounter, both physically and emotionally, and what you can do to love them well.

"Peace and happiness be yours and mine as we follow God's rule of Love and truly become neighbors with all whom we come in contact with."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)