I’m glad that God puts so many core truths of scripture on the bottom shelf for us.
I’m talking about “Keep It Short and Sweet” biblical principles that make for a successful life of faith and are described simply so that our clogged minds can attain/retain the kind of life that God wants and people need.
Today’s reading in the One-Year Bible contains yet another example of this simplicity.
“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
This wasn’t Jesus talking.
This was the Apostle Paul.
He wrote these words in Galatians 5:14.
But actually it wasn’t Paul who coined the quote above.
It was Moses.
Well, OK, it wasn’t actually Moses.
It was God.
For the “Love your neighbor as yourself” was given by God to Moses as part of the book we know as Leviticus. More specifically, the phrase comes from Leviticus 19:18.
From God to Moses to Paul to us.
Passing the torch of truth.
Passing the commission to love.
Like Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13, if we don’t sincerely love others as diligently as we love ourselves, we’re rebels against the authority of God.
Wow.
Rebel? Or servant?
Which one are you?
Do I look for people who need encouragement? Or am I waiting for SOMEBODY to encourage me?
If I like it when somebody buys my lunch, do I look for opportunity to bless someoneby buying their lunch?
If I like being quickly forgiven when making mistakes, do I quickly forgive others when they do something that costs me time or money or aggravation?
If somebody says something awkward, do I refuse to bring attention to it since I’m sure that I’ve said awkward things and have been glad when others just let it go without comment?
It is not our human nature to treat others as nicely as we treat ourselves.
It IS evidence of a transformed, godly nature, though, when we do.
That’s why how we treat others shows the place of God’s Word in our lives.
Let’s get to the lovin’ the way God wants and others will get the message that we love God.
As always, I love you
Martin
