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.” –Matthew 22:37-40
All of the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments! It seems that these two would be a great place to start and to work toward perfection. Jesus gives this message in response to the question “What is the greatest commandment?” I propose this message become both our goal and our measurement of success as followers of Jesus. In all of the complexity and massive content of the Bible, it seems that Jesus has simplified our calling. How are we doing? The word love here is a verb, requiring action. How do we love God? We love God by spending time with God, in prayer, in thought, in praise, and in worship. How do we love our neighbor? We love our neighbor by spending time with them, putting their needs above our own, sharing our means and possessions, showing forgiveness, and healing them. Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING that God has created. We must not be divisive or selective in loving. We must not impose our theology or our beliefs on others or attempt to make them conform. We are called to love. Unrestricted and unselfish. Period. The tagline for our church is “Love God, Love Each Other (Change the World)”. We fully believe that if we can focus on the first two, as Jesus calls out, the third will be the supernatural outcome! What do you believe? Let the image of our logo, representing the sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross and the power of Holy Spirit, be the foundation for what we think, say, and do. Let the world be changed.