And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and 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." And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any question. (Mark 12:28-34 RSV)
Love the Lord, & love your neighbor. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Unfortuantely, when you move from the theorhetical to the actual, it always seems to get more complicated. But it shouldn't have to be any more conplex. As Martin Luther wrote in his great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress", "the Spirit and the gifts are ours". And we also have the model of Jesus' life to follow. Now if we could only get rid of all that pesky pride and self-will...
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