And He said to him, “‘You shall love ADONAI [the LORD] your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39, TLV

Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy.         Context. During the time of Jesus, every Jewish soul who sat under the teachings of their parents and attended synagogue or traveled to the Temple, knew the answer to the question: “Which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” (Matthew 22:36) These truths were fundamental to the Jewish faith — to Torah, the Law.

Love God. Love one another.

From the time the Finger of God wrote on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18), to Moses transcribing ADONAI’s Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy), it has always been Love God (Deuteronomy 6:5). Love one another (Leviticus 18:19).

Simple, yes? Yet, what happened in the Garden? The first couple chose power over God. Then the first child chose envy against his brother resulting in murder. Not an auspicious beginning for humanity.

Today, it is no different. We still struggle with these simple commandments.

What if every decision and action we made were filtered through these commandments? Love God. Love one another. It’s a start. Because we need the whole of scriptures to instruct us in how to love God. Likewise, we need the whole Bible to instruct us in how to love one another.

Fortunately, everything we need is contained in our Heavenly Father’s Word. It’s a great manual for living as a redeemed child of the Creator of the Universe. And Yeshua’s life is a beautiful demonstration for us of how to live.

It’s simple, but not easy: Love God. Love one another.

Think More About It

What does “Love God. Love One Another” mean to you practically?

May we love God and one another—may we love well, my friends.

Pray for Israel—Prayer Prompt

A horse is a false hope for victory,
nor can its great strength save.
Behold, the eyes of ADONAI are on those who fear Him,
waiting for His love,
to deliver their souls from death,
and to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:17-19, TLV

Again, Abba, we know that humanity’s strategies and technologies are not Israel’s true hope for victory—otherwise these wars would never be over. May we turn our eyes to You. To fear You and wait on Your love and deliver their souls from death. In Yeshua’s Name, Amen.

God bless you!