Simple Instructions For These Trying Times

"Jesus declared, 'Love the Lord your God with all your hear, with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

Simple instructions for these trying times:

1. Love God with everything that you are.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.


     The amazing things about these instructions: they transcend all ethnic, political and socioeconomic boundaries. They are clear boundaries for our behaviors and attitudes.

     Followers of Jesus, if you're really taking these instructions to heart, you'll treat others in the same way that Jesus did; you'll value them the same way that God values them. 

     Here's what the world could look like if we all lived these instructions out well: 

-No racial injustice or ethnic inequality because we would all treat each other with the same value based on God's sense of worth, rather than our own prejudices. When you love God with everything you are, you treat the things that He loves with a value higher than your own self-worth.

-No looting or destruction of others' property. If you love your neighbor the same way that you love yourself, how can you treat their lives and livelihood with such disdain? 

-No excusing bad/ sinful/ destructive behavior because they "deserve it" or because you don't want to be the one to tell them no. Part of love is saying "That behavior is sinful and it needs to stop." Just like Jesus told those He healed to "go and sin no more."

     It's pretty simple. If we all really loved Jesus and followed these instructions, we wouldn't have any of this mess. Nobody throwing their lives away because of drug use. No cops treating others in a prejudiced way. No looting and destruction of property. No cops being killed by domestic terrorists; no domestic terrorists at all. 

    Love God. Love others. I am third in the grand scheme of things.