You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. Deuteronomy 6:5-6 

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:10

There are a lot of laws along with the commandments in the Old Testament. Well over 600 are listed in Jewish tradition. Not just the ten in Exodus 20 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5. Then as chapter 6 begins we see that the whole law can be summarized. The verses from 6-9 are termed the Shema, Hebrew for “hear or listen.” These verses, along with some others, are posted on the doorpost of Jewish homes. (Termed the Mezuzah, consisting of a parchment scroll.) This is a reminder every time a person goes through the doorways that there is one God, and to include this statement in the morning and evening prayers. Jesus quotes the Shema several times in the New Testament, again emphasizing that the law is summed up in one statement – Love God, Love your neighbor.

The verse from Romans for today comes in a section titled “Love Fulfills the Law.”  In verse 9, just before this verse, Paul writes on the same theme: all of the Commandments are summed up in one decree: Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself. It’s not that we can just ignore the Ten Commandments, but we do know that we cannot follow them very well much of the time. With God’s help, however, we can focus on His love for us, and respond with love.

It sounds simple – love God, love all people everywhere. After all, we can love because God first loved us. It can be hard to do this oftentimes; not all people seem very lovable. We can ask for help in being able to love our neighbors.

God, you first loved us and helped us to truly love you with all our heart, soul, and might. May we be thankful for the love you have shown to us and the love you have given, by truly loving each other. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Chris Gabel

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party