On Loving God and Loving People

Tonight, my daughter Samantha and I walked up to the playground at Lemme School. On the way we walked by one of our neighbors who was outside working in his driveway. He is an older gentleman who needs oxygen on a regular basis, and has a hard time getting around. I stopped to talk to him for a while, just shootin the breeze. When I was done Samantha said to me, "You love that man don't you Dad?" I thought for a moment and replied, "Yeah I do Samantha, I love him." Quite honestly, I hardly know the guy. I have maybe, talked to him a total of three times in my life, but that doesn't change the fact that God loves him. So if God loves him and I love God, that means I show my love for God by loving that man. Think of it this way. Remember the incident recorded in Matthew 22 where Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is? Here is a quick refresher:

³⁴ "But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

³⁷ Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." ~ Matthew 22:34-40

So for a long time I just figured that Jesus couldn't count. I mean, the guy did ask for one commandment and Jesus gave him two. What does that mean except that to really, truly love God, you and I have to really, truly love people. God does...in fact today and everyday, you will lock eyes with people who Jesus died on the cross for. He loved them and we are to love them as well. Have a great day loving people and loving God! Love, Tom