Love Done Rightly
Advent Week Two, Day Two
Matthew 22:34-37

Focus: “...love the Lord your God... love your neighbor as yourself...”

If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” When I was growing up, these words echoed through our home and were used for everything from schoolwork to mowing the yard. Doing it right was the level of expectation in our family and doing it wrong meant we did it again!

For followers of Jesus, there is a level of expectation on how we demonstrate love in our lives. That level was clearly stated by Jesus himself: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” That’s a tall order if ever there was one! Our devotion to God should include every facet of our lives, not just isolated pieces of our attention or our schedule. And then, as if that weren’t enough, Jesus continued: “AND… you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s not an either/or proposition. Love done rightly not only includes how we feel toward and respond to God, but also how we interact with the people we meet each day.

Mastering such an objective will undoubtedly take a lifetime, and the truth of the matter is, we each have only one lifetime to give to this quest.

Determine now to make this day count as you put action into loving God and loving others.