Matthew 22:39 GNT
Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
I have a dog and a big 100lb cat dog. You know the phrase herding cats? Well it’s a thing especially for a dog that thinks he is a cat! So, for 14 years anywhere he goes, he has had to be on a leash, because he just doesn’t listen! His leash isn’t there to restrict his fun, it’s there to protect him. Mind you, he has 26 feet to run and chase and sniff and be a dog, but sometimes I have to reel it all the way in to keep him from running in front of cars, chasing after deer, or getting so far from home he would be lost. Without a leash, his life would be pure danger and chaos!
I sometimes think I hear God saying, “Now you know how I feel!” God gave us 10 Commandments not to restrict our fun here on earth, but to protect us! When Jesus was asked what commandments were the most important He narrowed the 10 to just 2. He gave us the freedom of a very long leash called love. Jesus says in Matthew 22: 37- 39, “Love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
So here is a radical thought. If we love in the way that Jesus showed us to love, then all the other commandments fall into place. If I love, I won’t steal. I won’t kill. I won’t covet. I won’t disrespect, but what I will do is listen and go where I am called. No matter what, Jesus is in control, but we can choose if it’s on the short leash or the long leash of love.
