When I was a kid, I loved the Cliff Notes on books. It wasn't that I didn't like to read, I just wanted to get to the point. One year, my teacher began the first semester with a list of books she expected us to read and then give a report on- I almost cried. Hemingway, Melville, Austen, and Kipling were on the list, and I know now that killing a mockingbird would be important, but the truth is...these people just could not get to the point! (I have since discovered their brilliance, by the way, but I couldn't see it as a teen.) So in my effort to fulfill my duties (pass my class!), I did all my book reports out of TV Guide, using its show summaries as my source and my imagination to fill in the story. I just wanted to get to the point, and I did pass.
In my friendship with Jesus, I like it when we get to the point. I grew up in a complex faith world with lists, clashes over styles of worship, rules, and then extra rules (so we would not get close to breaking the first set of rules). It often felt like someone was handing me a 464 page Grapes of Wrath tip book; I was sure there was a simpler way of thinking about Jesus, but no one was sharing that idea. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the words of Jesus, Paul, and James.
These three guys boil down everything "faith" into two simple statements:
Love God with all you got (Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength).
Love your neighbor as if your own life were at stake (like yourself).
According to them, the entirety of everything God wants for and from us is summed up in love God, and love others.
Love God - Become friends with God. Live with God in a friendship defined by love. Return the love given to you by God with everything you have and are. Love God with the deepest of your emotions. Love God with your thinking. Love God in your actions. Love God!
Love others like you love yourself. Be partners with God in making sure others know God loves them. Loving others is an extreme invitation to join him in loving people by loving people for him.
When we connect the dots of Jesus, Paul, and James, we see that their entire summary of being a Christian is "be friends with God and be partners with God." Love God and love others.
Here is my struggle; I like half of this summary. I like being friends with God, and all the feels that friendship brings. I like saying Jesus is my friend and knowing I got my ticket to a better life. But loving others, that is too much unless they are like me, that is. "Love my enemies," Jesus said. "Love those who hurt me," Jesus said. "Love as he loves," Jesus said. "No, thanks. I'll love you, God, and those who are Christian adjacent, but enemies, neighbors, other political parties? I got no time for that - what would I post on Facebook then?"
Let's flip the script here. Sometimes I like to love others but not God. Okay, sounds crazy but let me explain. I sometimes try to be partners with God without investing the time and energy needed to truly love God.
Jesus, Paul, and James forever connected the command to love God with the command to love others. I cannot separate them. Otherwise, I am not actually doing either one.
So, let's simplify. What is one thing you can do to love God today, and what is one way you can show love to someone else? If you do that, you are on your way.