Many people never make it past the First Commandment of Love. The First Commandment dealt with the "vertical" aspect of the Cross, our relationship with Our Heavenly Father above. The Second Commandment deals with that horizontal beam of the Cross. It is the horizontal aspect of Love for mankind.
Mark 12:31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” NKJV
Can it be any more plainly stated by Jesus? There are no greater commandments than those that focus on Love. Yet most Christians will study and meditate on just about any other topic than Love.
Many Christians are somewhat bloodthirsty and want their enemies to suffer. We are to Love Our Heavenly Father, Love our neighbor, and Love our enemies. Who else is left? Many secretly want their adversaries who don’t align themselves with their doctrine or way of life to burn for eternity. Doesn’t this belittle the power of the Blood of the Lamb of GOD? Is the Creator helpless to find a way to make sure all of mankind is restored to HIM?
Most everyone wants eternal life. In the Gospel of Luke, we are given explicit details in attaining eternal life. An expert in religious law asks the specific question:
10:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Many would have you believe that there is a laundry list of do’s and don’ts that must be checked off before you are allowed entrance into "eternal life." Jesus replied with a question (Don’t you just love it when He does that!):
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
The lawyer knows the letter of the Law:
27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
It is interesting that most Christians, as well as the experts in The Law, know these two Commandments. Head knowledge is not enough, Jesus further explains:
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
"Do this" is the key. Talk is cheap; actions must back up those words. The lawyer now paints himself into a corner with his next question:
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Our ego wants to justify our current state and resists change. It wants the good life without sacrificing any time, energy, or money on others. It wants to keep you focused on scarcity rather than abundance.
As happened often, Jesus replied to the lawyer’s question with a parable- The Parable of the Good Samaritan:
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
Jesus provides a clear and concise picture of assisting someone in need. Any reasonable person can figure out the essence of the lesson in the story. Jesus asked the lawyer a simple question:
36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
It was a multiple-choice question making it simple to pick the correct answer. The lawyer replied:
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Jesus provided a simple reply- Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
How complicated have we made entering into eternal life! It doesn’t require some complex formula that the ego would promote as the key. It doesn’t require you to memorize a bunch of Scriptures to achieve a certain level of acceptance. Anyone can achieve eternal life by walking in just two Commandments focused on Love. The Gospel is simple. Our ego makes it complex and difficult.
Most people focus only on the First Commandment focusing on the relationship with Our Heavenly Father. To bring Heaven to earth, we must move on to the Second Commandment of Loving mankind. We are to represent Our Heavenly Father to the world. We are to be the light in a world of darkness:
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light NKJV
Jesus’ focus was on mankind. His relationship with Our Heavenly Father was well established, and thus He now was able to fully represent the Divine Intent of restoring mankind to The Father. Our focus should be the same. We should be looking for opportunities to make a difference in other people’s lives rather than just focusing on ourselves. There are Spiritual Laws of giving that have been established to promote the Kingdom. Seed time and harvest work for both the evil and righteous. Often the evil do a better job of understanding basic laws and exploit them for personal benefit. How much more should the righteous understand the Law of Abundance and operate in it to meet the needs of all mankind!
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” NKJV
This passage contains a mystery. This mystery is counterintuitive to the ego’s way of thinking. Give, and you will be given more? This is contrary to the Law of Scarcity where you must hoard what you have and work harder to acquire more, never giving anything to anyone else. The mystery is that as you are a cheerful giver, giving out of Love, you will be supplied with even a greater storehouse to supply more. Your circle of influence will grow because you have been faithful over a little and proven that you can be faithful over much more.
Many like to view Luke 6:38 in only the context of finances. Though it is true for finances, it is also true of intangible resources. Consider the fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. As you give these fruit, an abundance of fruit avails itself to you.
The Second Commandment of Love is so simple. Put yourself in your neighbor’s shoes and determine what your neighbor needs. It may be a kind word, it may be financial assistance, or they simply may need some quality time with you. As you become sensitive to the needs of others, you will be given greater responsibilities for the deeper, more subtle needs. How do you know what they really need? As you mature in the revelation of Love, you will be able to hear the Father’s words more clearly as HE conveys the needs of others to you. Jesus conveyed this Truth in John 17:
8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. NKJV
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. NKJV
Jesus was given glory. Thus He gave this glory to the believers. Jesus Loved the those who believed and imparted His Love for their perfection. You can see how the flow works: Your vertical relationship with Our Heavenly Father flows through you and then horizontally to others. You must not stop the flow and end it with you. Let the Love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness flow to your neighbor and your adversaries. This is what spreading the Gospel is all about.
The Second Commandment was central to the Old Testament Law as well. The last five of the Ten Commandments focused on our relationship with others:
Deuteronomy 5: 17 ‘You shall not murder.
18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.
19 ‘You shall not steal.
20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’ NKJV
All of these primarily dealt with self-preservation, the Law of Scarcity, or both. These commandments expose the "taker" as opposed to the "giver." You must ask yourself in which category your actions and words place you.
Most people submit to the Law of Scarcity out of fear. Ultimately the fear of death motivates their actions. Hunger precedes death. Lack of shelter and clothing places you at risk of death if left out in the elements. Bankruptcy can lead to hunger which leads to death. In the end, death is the issue central to the taker’s motive. This person has no confidence in the Love of Our Heavenly Father. He must fend for himself against all odds. At best, he considers Our Heavenly Father to be a distant GOD who cannot or will not deal with his personal issues. He has no revelation of the Love of Our Heavenly Father.