Read Mark 12:28-31
“And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (v. 31).
Suppose your father owned a beloved 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. He had purchased it at a discount after all his kids were grown, then painstakingly restored it to all its mid-century glory. The seats were recovered, the new coat of crimson paint was spotless, and the round headlights shone. If you were lucky, you got to join your mom and dad on a cruise around town on a summer night.
Now, if you wanted to borrow a vehicle of your dad’s to drive back through the pasture to the pond, would you choose that ’57 Chevy? Chances are that would not even be an option for you. Even if your father was away for the day, you would want to treat his special car with care because he prized it.
This illustrates, to a small degree, the reason that loving God is always tied with loving our fellow man. God has shown us His love for humanity; if we love Him, we will treat those He loves with respect. John puts it another way in 1 John 4:20 — how can we claim to love God whom we cannot see if we do not love people that we can see? (Ashlee Englund)
Love for others should be the focal point of all we do.
This week’s featured devotional is the Monday, June 16, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "dave_7 used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized and cropped.