One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31

We tend to make things more complicated that they should be. In the Old Testament, hundreds of laws were recorded to try to govern human behavior. You could almost get bogged down in trying to learn them all, let alone live them. So, when one of the legal scribes asked Jesus to tell which of the laws would be most important, Jesus gave a great summary.

Love the Lord your God … and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

It’s that simple. If we would just love ourselves as we have been made in God’s image —- and if we would love others as God’s creations — and if we would love the One who made us — following God’s instructions as the operating manual for the human machine – life in the kingdom of God might happen.

Let’s get busy today loving ….

Prayer

God, let Your love fill me to the point that it overflows in how I see myself and how I treat everyone I meet. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.