Day 4

The Faithful Follower of God

READING:
Matthew 25:31-46

During the Passion Week, Jesus taught for hours inside the Temple. He was both confrontational (with the Temple leaders) and compassionate (with the crowds). His desire was to show average people what it meant to love God. When a teacher asked Him what was most important, He declared the words of Moses “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”(Deuteronomy6:5). And then He completed it with“...but love your neighbor as yourself...” (Leviticus 19:18).

The inquirer agreed—this is worth more than all the sacrifices made at the Temple. And Jesus complimented him.

“The next night Jesus would say the same thing to His closest disciples: ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.’” (John 13:34). For Jesus, how we love is as important as the faith we hold.

We often think that what God wants is complicated. It isn’t. God asks us for our undivided devotion, but He also asks for us to love richly those who are around us. This includes our families, our colleagues, our friends, and even our enemies (that’s the tough part). In Jesus’ mind, this must have been the hallmark of a faithful person.

How can you share the love of God with somebody today?