The Second Commandment of Jesus
It is amazing how the Old Testament and the New Testament agree, even though they were written so far apart and in such different circumstances. The reason is that it is all God's Word, and God never changes. When Jesus was asked to name the great commandment in Matthew 22:37-40, He told the lawyer that the great commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. However, He quickly added the second commandment because of it's great importance. He commanded us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Then, He concluded by saying all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.
I remembered Jesus saying this when I read Zechariah 7:9,10 this morning. It amazed me how these commandments compliment each other. Zechariah actually gives us quite a few insights about how to love our neighbors. Of course, Jesus told us that everyone is our neighbor, not just people who live near us or who are like us. Therefore, we need to hear what the Lord told Zechariah to tell God's people.
We need to strive to execute true justice. Isn't that what we would want if we had to go to court or we had to deal with authorities? We need to show mercy and compassion to everyone. We must not oppress the widows and the orphans, but we should give them our aid. The same is true for the aliens and the poor people around us. In fact, we can sum it up like this: We must not plan evil in our hearts against other people. That would pretty much put an end to mistreating people wouldn't it?
Now, remember again what Jesus said. This command is essential. It is not enough for us to simply love Jesus, attend church services, and tell others about Jesus so they can be saved from their sins. We have to truly care for people the way we would want to be cared for. That is a tall order, but think of how America and the world would be different if we all did that.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 10-12.
I remembered Jesus saying this when I read Zechariah 7:9,10 this morning. It amazed me how these commandments compliment each other. Zechariah actually gives us quite a few insights about how to love our neighbors. Of course, Jesus told us that everyone is our neighbor, not just people who live near us or who are like us. Therefore, we need to hear what the Lord told Zechariah to tell God's people.
We need to strive to execute true justice. Isn't that what we would want if we had to go to court or we had to deal with authorities? We need to show mercy and compassion to everyone. We must not oppress the widows and the orphans, but we should give them our aid. The same is true for the aliens and the poor people around us. In fact, we can sum it up like this: We must not plan evil in our hearts against other people. That would pretty much put an end to mistreating people wouldn't it?
Now, remember again what Jesus said. This command is essential. It is not enough for us to simply love Jesus, attend church services, and tell others about Jesus so they can be saved from their sins. We have to truly care for people the way we would want to be cared for. That is a tall order, but think of how America and the world would be different if we all did that.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 10-12.