Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”Mark 12:29-31
The word Christian means “Christlike.” In the first century, Christian was not a name chosen by the followers of Jesus. Rather, it was a name given to them by others. Believers based their lifestyle on the teachings of Christ, so the best way to describe them was to call them Christians.
What if Christians really were Christlike? Central in Jesus’ teachings is the command to love. In fact, in the verses above, Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is to love our neighbors. These commands supersede all others, because everything else flows out from them.
Love begins with an attitude, which in turn leads to acts of service. “How may I help you?” is a good question with which to begin.
Today is a good day to express love to our neighbor. In my opinion, that starts with those closest to us—first our spouse, then our family—and then spreads outward.
Dear Father, you made it clear that loving you and loving others is the most important thing I can do. Help me to make that a priority. Let me show Christlike love to my spouse today..IN JESUS LORDS NAME I PRAY WITH THANKSGIVING...Amen!!!
