Simple Hard Instructions

Luke 10: ²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

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.’ ”

²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

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Blindfolded, I sat in the chair in the middle of the room of a group of people. The first question was “If you wanted to kiss someone in the room, what would you take off first?” trying to bait me into removing my clothes. “The blindfold” was the answer to this ridiculous game.

There are times when I walk around blind.

There are times when my blindness keeps me from “hearing.”

There are times when something obvious is right in front of me yet my blindness keeps me from perceiving it.

A certain lawyer tried to catch JESUS off guard rather than seeking an answer. His blindness is not obvious in this conversation but was still present as he “tested” JESUS with the question of eternal life. JESUS spun the question back to him, specifically focusing in on “the law.” The lawyer could do nothing but answer exactly what was in the law.

• JESUS gave me simple instructions to follow.
• JESUS gave me simple instructions to maintain a strong relationship with HIM.
• JESUS gave me simple instructions for eternal life as well as peace in present days.

When JESUS wrote the law, HE placed love in it as the ultimate answer. HE simply wants me to “Love the Lord my GOD with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength, and with all my mind,’ and ‘my neighbor as myself”. Sounds easy, Right? Not really.

Sometimes I make excuses for not loving GOD with all my heart as I place impure things in it. My thoughts sometimes take over and I fall into traps that I am inadequate or worse yet, GOD is mad at me or constantly punishing me.

One mistake in this line of thinking is that GOD should act a certain way to show HIS love for me. GOD wants me to love how HE made me and accept me for who I am. If I love the gifts and talents HE has given me, as they are, then I can love HIM and others the way HE wants me to. GOD’s love is the right answer. I am no longer blind.

• Are you blind towards loving others?
• Does your world center only on you?
• Can you remove your spiritual blindfold and allow GOD to guide you with HIS love for others today?