Love the Lord your God

Luke 10:25-37
    Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
    He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
    He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence-and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
    "Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
    Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
    Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
    "A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill-I'll pay you on my way back.'
    "What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
    "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.
    Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

I can almost hear one of my friends singing a particular song in my mind as I write this, and can guarantee they will sing it when they read this post. Hopefully they will comment with the lyrics as right now I can not remember them all.

This passage is one of those very powerful passages we find in the Bible. Mostly because it is a direct lesson from Jesus. Instead of looking to Church leaders or Paul's letters we are being instructed by the Lord Himself. It is a very simple message that we are being given here. Love God with everything you have, all the time. And to treat others in the same way you treat yourself and want to be treat. A very simple message but one that is often very difficult to put into practice. However if we try daily to follow these simple instructions we will be on the right path to becoming what Jesus wants us to be.