
“Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” Romans 13:10
In the Old Testament the people of Israel followed a set of rules and commandments called The Law. The purpose of the law was to set them apart from all other nations so that they would live a lifestyle that would represent God. The law was very specific and there were over 600 of them. To give a comparison, the U.S. has more federal laws than can be counted. In fact, the Library of Congress says “it's nearly impossible.”
Jesus said the greatest commandments are to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind….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
This basically means to love God and love people; this is the heart of the whole law. When we act loving toward others, don’t intentionally do them wrong, apologize when we make mistakes, assume safe people have good intentions and preemptively forgive others for saying the wrong thing we are loving people. When we disagree with other people’s parenting styles, politics or social media posts and choose to act respectfully we are loving others. When we hold our tongue and not speak badly of our enemies we are following the heart of God’s law.
Of course we should voice our disagreements when necessary and appropriate, set healthy boundaries and advocate against injustice, but it should be firmly rooted in love. This is what sets us apart. This is how people will know the heart of God. As we move through this year full of big changes that can cause extra tension let's remember to lead with love. Originally posted Sept. 10, 2020
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