Thought of the Day !!

After being asked which of the Commandments was the first, or most important, Jesus answered in this way:

The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength".  The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself".  There is no other commandment greater than these.
                                                                                   Mark 12:29-31 (NRSV)

These two Commandments go together.  When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we cannot help but have a desire to please Him.  And when we have a desire to please Him, we will love each other.  Otherwise our love is more for ourselves than God. 

This kind of love is a first class kind of love.  If you've ever been on an airplane maybe you've been lucky enough to fly first class (not me).  In first class you get preferential treatment.  Your seat is bigger.  You're served first.  In other words, your doted on more than than the other passengers.  It's this kind of love that we're to give to God and to others.  Yet so often God gets the time left over after what's going on in our lives just as if He were in coach.  And our neighbor gets love only if it's convenient or doesn't get in our way.

Let us begin the New Year by giving a first class kind of love to God and neighbor.

In the love of Christ,
greg