The second greatest commandment...

So everyone knows the 2 greatest commandments of the Bible -

1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

If you follow these commandments, you will literally fulfill all the other commandments in the Bible.  So the issues are - who should you love and how should you love them?

First off - who should you love?

In Luke 10, the lawyer asked Jesus how to obtain eternal life. 
Jesus returned with the question: "What is written in the law?"
This expert in the law quickly answered the 2 greatest commandments. 
Jesus affirms the answer. 
Lawyer asks: "Who is my neighbor?"
... [talking and parable] ...
Jesus asks: "Who was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

Think on it for a moment.  Commonly, God answers questions with a questions, like in the case above.  But not only does Jesus ask a question - He turns the issue and responsibility of actually being a neighbor onto us.  We don't look for neighbors to love, we be neighbors to everyone around us by loving!!!  This is crucial - at least for me. 

Secondly - how should we love these neighbors?  By following the Golden Rule, of course, right?

Luke 6:31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 

As YOU want men to do to you...  YOU are God's Child and you want God's will to be done.  Ideally, you will what God wills.  And you are bound by the command to do to others as God wills you to do unto them.  Sadly, many people twist this command and say, "Well, what should I do for a penniless alcoholic?  He wants money to buy more liquor.  He wants the money for that."   
IF the command was, "Do to others as they want you to do to them," we would have to give that man what he wanted, because Jesus commanded it.  (And that would be bad!!)

But no - turn it around: if you were the alcoholic, what would you want to be done for you?  You would want people to help you stop your evil ways, you would want prayer, you would want accountability.   
Therefore, that's what you will do for the alcoholic. 
Ok, so the alcoholic was NOT the best of examples, but if you think about it, you can help people who reject your act of love, because that is what you would have others do unto you, it builds others up, and it pleases God, provided you do it with the right attitude, in all love and humility.

It's a whole new mentality (at least for me) and it's strange to apply, but I think it makes sense. 


And I'm not sure what made me post it.  I should go to bed now... :P

Good night world... *signs off*

~Victoria