The greatest commandment

Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

“37 This is the first and greatest commandment. 38 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

It seems pretty innocuous. Love God and others. So where’s the rub? Why so many God haters out there? Why are academics so overwhelmingly (so I read and hear – heck, they even made a movie out of it) anti-God? Is there something to what the God haters are saying?

Yeah, I think there is. It shows up in us when we’re young and throw tantrums when we don’t get what we want, when everything is “MINE!”, when we’re the center of everything. Some people just never outgrow that.

God commands us to love him, not out of jealousy or ego, but out of love. He knows what’s best for us. Why do you stop a child from putting their hand on the cooktop or eating dog poop? Because you know what will happen if you don’t. Why do you put a child in a timeout when they are misbehaving? Because you know the long term consequences if you don’t. We start young with behaviors that need correcting, and some people just think they outgrow the need.

Ahhh, self. We go to great lengths to protect it when we should be letting it die so we can be born again, born of water and spirit. John 3:3-8

Yet, we fight on. “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” Romans 2:8

God is trying to get through to all of us, from old testament teachings, to Christ being sent as a sacrifice for us, to the transforming Holy Spirit who can and will transform us if we’re willing. But like little children we want to throw a tantrum and be disobedient.

Reality is. What you believe doesn’t change reality (have you ever seen someone who didn’t believe in gravity float off?).

Obey and live, disobey and deal with the consequences. Just truly understand who you’re messing with.