Vertical And Horizontal Unity
Mark 12:29-31 (NIVUK) —
‘The most important [commandment],’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.’
Every day I am bombarded with so much heart-breaking disunity and confusion in the world. It’s everywhere: our workplaces, homes, even within ourselves. There’s disunity within and among churches – God’s very own people. Disunity happens when every ‘me’ is at centre stage and God is pushed to the side.
This verse shows our first love should be God and that we must not let anything take his place. ‘Loving your neighbour as yourself’ hinges heavily on loving the Lord first and foremost. We can’t do B without A. God is the source and strength behind every loving deed we do for our neighbours and towards ourselves. When we are in step with God, there is unity.
Now, about ‘loving your neighbour as yourself’ – it all depends on how you love yourself! Loving yourself means allowing God to come into your life to restore you, to break unhealthy chains. Loving yourself means to forgive yourself as God has forgiven you. How wonderful is that!
To love our neighbour is to want to see these blessings for them too: wanting to see God restore their lives, see their chains broken. It is to encourage their faith. It is to cheer them on as they lean on Christ and to sit with them in their lament.
True unity is in Christ. We are not able to love our neighbour in our own strength; it is the Holy Spirit who makes this possible. Jesus longs for his church to be unified, beyond and above our culture, theology, and practices. He longs for us to love each other as we love ourselves.
Prayer: Dear God, remind me when I forget to love you with all my heart, soul, strength and mind. Remind me when I forget to love my neighbour as myself. Help me be a good carrier and doer of your Word.