Ministry is Simple: Love God, Love People

“The Paradox of Choice” is a concept that describes how we feel when we are overwhelmed by our number of choices. There are 613 laws in the Old Testament. When someone asked Jesus which commandment was the most important, He did not have a “paradox of choice” moment. Despite having so many laws before Him, Jesus had a simple answer: love God and love people. Those laws are found in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. We will read some of them on Monday and Tuesday this week.

“Overflow” is one of Pastor John Vick’s favorite words. When we have God’s love in us, that love will overflow into all we say and do. Our words and actions reflect the love of the Lord that is filling our hearts. When that happens, obeying the Lord’s commandments is not a burden. Instead, following Jesus will be the expression of His love in us.

In our readings this week, we will look at one of the two most beloved stories Jesus told. He responded to a lawyer’s question about “who is my neighbor?” by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. The bottom line of Jesus is “to show mercy.” In Romans and Galatians, Paul illustrates love of neighbors by showing them mercy.

Ministry is simple: love God, love people. The chief characteristic of a Jesus follower is love.