The Two Greatest Comandments

It is so easy to become so busy with what we need to do or get done. Sometimes I find myself at the point where I feel like I'm a hamster on a hamster wheel - where am I really going and what am I really accomplishing? I generally tended to be OK with my busy schedule because it was and is always filled with important and productive tasks that must be done - homework, class time, Student Missions Association work, and a plethora of errands sprinkled in between. But as a follower of Christ, this schedule is wrong; if not to the point of sinful, which I will explain.

Now, this busy schedule is not wrong to have because it hinders us from spending time with God by reading our Bible or spending time in our prayer closet, though these are helpful in our walk with the Lord. So often when I hear a speaker address the topic of our own personal busyness, he will condemn our overly packed schedule because it prevents us from spending adequate time with God. And this is absolutely true, I couldn't agree more. But I really feel it needs to be taken one step further. Our overly busy schedules are wrong because they make us too busy for the people around us. And people are what life is all about. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus as to what the greatest commandment in the Law was, He replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt. 22:36-40).

The Bible asks, How can you love God, who you have never seen yet not have love for your brother who you see? What an absolutely powerful verse! As Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, "For what you did to the least of these, you did unto me." When we become too busy for the people around us, we become too busy for Jesus. Ouch. That's uncomfortable to hear. But my schedule is filled with events and tasks that need to be accomplished so that I can more effectively build the Kingdom or things that will help me in my walk with God, you say. I ask you this: How can you truly build the Kingdom without building those around you? Is that not the greatest investment into which we can make - into someone else instead of investing our time into a task? Even if your schedule is full of things that are meant to build the Kingdom, if they hinder you from minstering to others, it's just not worth it. People are the greatest investment you can make.

Yes, people can be mean. People can be rude, insulting, offensive, dirty, and sometimes just evil. But no matter what condition they may be in - Jesus still loves them. He loves you no matter condition you may be in. He equally loves you on your worst day and your best day. We become too busy for Jesus when we pass Him on the street when He's begging for a dollar. For silver and gold you may not have, but you do have something. While in the supermarket, are we too busy to hear the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit in His prodding of us to speak life into the cashier? Thankfully, Jesus was never too busy for those around Him. Nor is He too busy for you. Instead, He poured Himself in His entirety into not just His disciples but also into the outer fringes of society - the prostitutes and tax collectors.

I pray that God would instill within us a passion for people. A love that cannot be quenched. A love for people to the degree that Jesus had - that He was willing to die on the cross while we were yet sinners. I pray that we would remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And lastly, I pray that we would remember that our daily schedules are simply tentative - our ultimate schedule comes from above.