Everybody Means Everybody!

Scripture: Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Reflection:
Jesus was asked for the greatest commandment, and He gave two. Love God with everything you have, then love your neighbor as yourself. Notice He didn’t say love the neighbors who are easy, or the ones who share your last name, your pew, or your favorite football team. Neighbor is a wide word. It includes the visitor with tattoos, the family in the noisy old car, and the person who doesn’t know where anyone sits.

Treating people the way you want to be treated is simple, but it isn’t easy.

It means giving the stranger the same patience you’d give your own child. It means a welcome that doesn’t check the label first. Jesus died for everybody, and He asked us to make disciples of everybody. Today, pick one person you tend to overlook and treat them as precious, because to Jesus, they already are. Start small, but be sincere.

Application Question: What first impressions or assumptions do you need to surrender to God so you can welcome someone the way you would want to be welcomed?