Scripture is wise and beautiful and manna for the soul; and all of it crescendos into a unified eternal truism. Love God and love your neighbor. Six words to guide and counsel humanity; the children of God. Six words that define and describe the essence of life; the very foundation of the cosmos. Six words repeatedly spoken by Jesus, the Word that saved the world and who saved me.
Love God and neighbor is the moral maxim that seems almost too simple, but remains elusive and extremely difficult to live by; at least for me, and no one is alone. I can emulate love, but I am not the Source. I can expand love, but I am not the Savior. I can enlarge love, because He loved us first.
Love is words and actions that only seek the well-being of all people and expects no reciprocity even in the most hostile of situations. As in love your enemy. As in resisting the urge to repay evil for evil. As in sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.
Intuitively, most people know what love looks like, regardless of their faith. Most people love those who love them. Most people even love unconditionally, particularly regarding children and animals. Most people, including myself, struggle with loving those we dislike and despise. Most people, including myself, struggle with loving those who dislike or despise us. Most people, including myself, want to repay evil for evil. And therein lies one of the great temptations in this world; an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
We are blind and toothless creatures who believe we know more about love than we really do. Let alone justice, mercy, kindness, generosity, grace, humility and truth. While God calls our hearts to our heavenly home, our hearts struggle with the temptations of this earthly abode and our own arrogant egos.
Even simple acts like saying hello to a stranger or welcoming a guest into our home can create more love in the world. And if that love is reciprocated with a hello or thank you, it becomes a blessing for everyone. But if that love is snubbed or scorned, it easily becomes a burden for everyone. Distrust, assumptions, negativity, give evil refuge; danger.
This is why scripture steadfastly warns us about evil. Parasitic spiritual entities that burrow into our hearts and who hate all of humanity. Evil is our only enemy, not other humans. Even humans infected with evil can still be redeemed by God; even you and even me.
Resisting the urge to repay evil for evil becomes love’s litmus test. A spiritual method to help us diminish evil’s temporal power by rejecting its distortion of God’s good world. A heart reborn is radicalized by real love for all people, instead of being reserved only for reciprocity.
Authentic faith is actual love. It’s like the proverbial rubber meeting the narrow road. It can be bumpy and uncomfortable, rough and unpleasant; even dangerous and at times deadly. Begin to love your enemies and you’ll begin to realize how much evil is terrified by love.
When the world spurs our attempt to love God and neighbor, and it will, remember it’s this world that crucified the Son of Man. It’s this world that crushes love. It’s this world that urges us to repay evil with evil. It’s this world that Jesus has overcome.
Those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ struggle with loving God and neighbor; myself included. Those of us who call ourselves children of God struggle with not repaying evil with evil; myself included. Those of us who chose to live in the Light struggle with the darkness; myself included.
But those of us who have come to know and believe in the love of God, already know that the Light shines in the darkness; and the darkness has not overcome it. Love never repays evil for evil. Good will always overcome evil. God is love and God is good.
Peace. God loves you.
If you want to learn more about my spiritual journey, you can read or listen to my award-winning memoir Finding God in Vegas: A Gen X Spiritual Awakening; available on Amazon and all platforms in print, electronic or audio.