Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'  The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  No other commandment is greater than these."

Mark 12:29-31  NLT

The rabbis of Jesus' day believed that God's law contained over six hundred statutes.  But Jesus was able to reduce the entire law to two commands that revolve around one word: love.  When we love God and others, we fulfill the greatest commandments and realize the purpose of the law.  Love for God and others must motivate our worship.  It must determine the words we speak, the hymns we sing, the message we preach.  Thank God for sending Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the demands of the law and showed us the way to live a godly life.

Prayer for the week: Lord of love, we thank you that your commandments are neither burdensome nor complicated but built upon love.  Instill in us a love for you that will overflow into love and concern for our neighbors.  Amen.