Greatest Command Matthew 22:37-40

37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

On the surface this seems like a pretty simple command, love God and love others, but in reality is much harder to live by. How many things do you love with all your heart, soul, and mind? Do you remember when you fell in love with your wife or husband? Do you remember how your every thought revolved around pleasing and serving him or her? Have you ever been that smitten with God, so in love that your every thought revolved around pleasing and serving God? I hope so.

What about your neighbor? First off who is your neighbor? We learn from Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan that your neighbor is not always the one that you would expect. The Samaritan was the last person the expert on the Law would have guessed would help the injured man. How easy is it to put someone else’s needs on the same playing field as your own? Often times it is difficult, but it is the way Christ calls us to live.

This theme of loving God and loving others was the focus of the teens’ weekend in Gatlinburg. Join us tonight as our young men bring a Winterfest Report of lessons learned. I am always excited to see how our teenagers respond to the challenges laid before them in the coming year. You won’t want to miss it.

— Will Tucker, Youth Minister