The Greatest Commandment - a podcast by David K Payne

Mark 12:30-31 NLT 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.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Today there is a lot of conversation within and between the many factions in our world. Each camp is angry, frustrated, and has personal, and most times, selfish thoughts on what is the right thing to do to bring change to our society. I also have opinions that move between defending, accusing, questioning, and denying our society's current condition. The truth of the matter is that we all need to submit our lives daily to the scrutiny of God's word if we are to affect change in our lives and the broader society in general.

I am surprised at how many Christians and most ministries are capitulating to the voices of a few made to look powerful by popular agents of politics, news, and entertainment. This capitulation is seen in superficial conversations, consisting of politically correct words scripted by others and said to satisfy the need to appear to be in line with what is deemed expedient for the times. The exact solution is harder to get at and can only take place as people are fundamentally changed from the inside by power from a more significant source.

One such truth is seen in the greatest commandment, as recorded by Mark as Jesus spoke about the good Samaritan. Rather than being fill with hatred for his oppressor, this unnamed visual example of the greatest commandment is central to how we change our daily interactions and, in turn, the world.

I have striven to daily walk with humility that causes me to bend a knee daily to those who hate me, misunderstand me, oppress me, and even alienate me. As we see in this story, the Samaritan takes the time to inconvenience himself on behalf of someone who did not consider him a full human. Through this Samaritans' kindness, we see a clear picture of how we should relate to those we meet who are different than ourselves. The Samaritan does this not for a photo op, or to be considered politically correct, but instead because he had a genuine love for his fellow man who was in need and incapable of helping himself.

God, please help us to stand and allow your word to guide our service to others, not for show, and not based on the demands of the crowds.

May our actions come from a place of conviction fueled by the power of your love, which causes us to make a difference in our world through Jesus Christ.

I am including a link to a message “Becoming a Neighbor”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69NYsTAF5yA&t=17s

Just Be

David

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