Living The Covenant - The Greatest of These is Love

When Jesus was asked what the greatest law was he responded the first was love of God and the second was love of others. All else, he said, was interpretation. 

Jesus brought a revolutionary concept to his time, a time in which kings had all power and the people none. You, Jesus said, are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Each of you is the temple of God. Through love, God told each person they were worthy. We not only love God and others, we love and respect ourselves as the abiding place of the divine.

John Wesley, founder of the United Methodist Church,  brought the good news to the downtrodden people of Victorian England (think Oliver Twist) when he brought his philosophy  of social justice, and social action, to the factory workers and founded the spiritual fellowship that became the United Methodist Church. John Wesley not only told the people they were worthy, he gave them the tools to take their existence from one of despair to joy.

Knowing that everything is from God and is given to us only to be used for God’s glory is very liberating. We don’t have to tie ourselves to our possessions, our accomplishments, our appearance …. we are free to enjoy every gift without greed and without fear of losing. Our self-esteem is based on God’s love, not who or what we are, and God’s love is a gift.