That's The Power of Love

For the longest time I have enjoyed the part in Mark 12 where Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. His reply was simple in the statement, but very difficult in what he said. He said that we are to 'love the Lord your God with all of your heart and soul and mind and to love others as you love yourself.'

What I thought was great about this is that Jesus wasn't inventing something totally new and radical, instead he was referring to what was taught for ages from the Old Testament. But obviously people sometimes get things confused and jumbled when it comes to the idea of love.
Imagine putting God and other people before your needs, is that possible?

How do we put God and others first? In this weeks Lent devotional a great quote by Martin Luther King Jr. was used to help describe love. "To meet hate with retaliatory hate would do nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love." (A Testament of Hope, page 17)

So are you begetting more hate? Are you making things tougher than they were before? Or are you using the power of love to eliminate hate?

Our world is full of foes. It is so easy to hate someone and it is hard to love someone. We are called as followers of Christ to love others; no matter who they are or what they have done.

Who in your life do you need to show some love to? What kind of hate do you need to overcome in your life?