#OneCommandment

 In the Book of Matthew 22v37-40 we see that Jesus replied to a trick questions by some Pharisees where they were clearly attempting to lure him into saying some thing that they were able to use against him. His reply of course was inspired and set the new standard for obedience in the Kingdom of heaven.

Paraphrased Jesus said we should love the Lord our God above all else and our neighbour’s as ourselves.
One can, of course, expound on this passage to no end but I personally like to make things as simple and easy to understand as possible. Comprehension of a concept in my mind requires no real effort to memorize it because I understand it.

My thinking may be very simplified but on a layman’s basis, I find that it really gets the message across. Let me begin by saying my love of God is best expressed by obeying his commands. Note that I said commands – plural. This has something to do with the fact that this one commandment has two parts that are applied in substantially different ways. Let’s start with part one.

There is one trend that shows up in scripture regarding our relationship with God and its simply this. Firstly be exposed to God’s word. This could be done by listening to a podcast or reading a book about an important biblical topic or principal or it could just be first prize that is reading directly from the Bible.

Romans 12 leads the way when Paul says we should renew our mind daily so that we are able to discern the will of God. His GOOD, EASING & PERFECT WILL. There are three things happening here. First we need to read God’s word. Simple and straight forward… Second, we need to make every effort to understand what this read message is saying about God’s Kingdom and how it applies to my life. This some times is where things become a bit tricky because there are so many translations of the English Bible alone that it leaves a lot of room for confusion. My general rule here is that we can do well by reading a passage in a few translations side by side if that is possible, and try to grasp the concept of the message. This I found helped me a lot more than trying to get my head around a passage that has been translated three or four times and uses examples that are mostly foreign to the bulk of the westernized world.

Once I start to grasp the concept it becomes understanding of the essence thereof. My understanding makes it possible to apply it to scenarios in my life that in tern allows me to think differently about things while as a natural consequence it also changes my actions and their outcomes from what it could have been to what it now is.

This is why comprehension is such a powerful and important part of getting scripture in our hearts. With greater comprehension comes greater culpability that leads to greater responsibility that intern brings about greater potential. This idea has a striking resemblance to the parable of the talents in the second half of Matt 25. To recap then:
• Read
• Understand
• Apply

The second part is also very basic and represents the other great moving force in our lives… OUR HEARTS.

Psalm 37v4 guides us to delight in the Lord and as a result, He will give us godly desires. This is the simplest way I was able to discover for me to avoid getting dragged away by my sinful nature as Paul mentions in the latter part of Romans Chapter One.

This very basic and practical application of my time and applying God’s word in my life with affection for Him makes me someone who is happy to submit to His leading. Such a lifestyle of submission to God’s word brings about personal growth and spiritual Maturity.

Naturally trees only start bearing fruit when they have grown enough strength into their branches with a solid grip on the place where they stand. Bearing fruit prematurely will actually harm the tree by breaking its branches.

This fruit is not just the fruit of the spirit that Galatians 5v22-23 speaks of. This fruit will naturally be something that produces the same life in others. This brings us to the second part of the great commandment. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF.

It ties in very closely with go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Loving our neighbor is best expressed by us encouraging them to grow in their relationship with the Father just as we are. It’s good to remember that a disciple is not just a convert to following the Lord Jesus… its someone that has matured to the place where they also start reproducing spiritually.

To wrap up then love the Lord above all else and your neighbor as yourself is expressed through reading, understanding, and living it while we delight in time with Him till we mature enough to start duplicating our relationship with Jesus in the lives of others.