Bishop Keith Butler
2 days ago
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. (Matthew 22:35-38)
The Pharisees often tried to goad Jesus into saying something that would upset the crowd. On this day, they sent a lawyer with a question they believed He could not answer: "Which commandment stands above all others?” If Jesus said, “Such-and-such commandment is more important,” they could paint the picture that He didn’t care about the other commandments. Jesus knew their tricks, so He spoke with revelation that redefined success for all time.
Awards, titles, accolades, or wealth do not measure success. Success isn’t an external thing at all. Success, from God’s viewpoint, is about two simple things: loving God and loving your neighbor.
Loving God isn’t a sentiment; it’s an action. It’s reading, hearing, and obeying His Word and being a tangible demonstration of His love to those around us.
Loving our neighbor as ourselves means going beyond our self-interests and living in a way that looks for and expects opportunities to demonstrate God’s power and love to the world around us.
Jesus explained that these two concepts summed up the entire Old Testament. God’s view of success doesn’t line up with most people’s. Regardless of your title, income, or net worth, success in God’s eyes is all about loving Him and loving others.
How can you be a tangible demonstration of God’s love today? Maybe it’s a smile toward a neighbor, or you can give a coworker some help or a listening ear to someone who needs to talk. When you find someone in need, ask yourself, “How can I love them as Christ has loved me?”