The ten commandments are not so easy to keep. Often, we don’t even know what the ten commandments say, let alone practising them in our lives.

Jesus knew this, and that’s why He summarised the law in simple terms: we must love our neighbour as we love ourselves. And even doing that is not easy, because we don’t even see how others suffer.

Karen is different:

I work for a dried fruit and nuts company. An unfamiliar woman from Brakpan phoned and wanted to speak to the CEO. She’d been looking for him the whole weekend and eventually ended up with me.

We started chatting, and she told me she had a daughter with a disability who needed dried fruit, but couldn’t afford it. Her daughter had to take lots of medication and, as a result, struggled with constipation.

So, I started sending her packets.

I mention this because the Lord takes such good care of us. It’s not about the packets I’m sending.

God uses ordinary people. Yes, sometimes the leader, but very often one of the followers. Ordinary people to make a real difference in the lives of others.

And the difference made in other people’s lives is driven by the law of Jesus: love your neighbour as you love yourself. If all of us can live this one law, the world will look a lot different.

I think we don’t see the law being lived everywhere because we don’t always know who our neighbour is. Most of us believe our neighbours are those other people.

Yes, they are the people we work with and the people we work for. Our friends and even the stranger in need who stumbles across our path – usually at the most inconvenient times.

They are the people closest to us; those we don’t always realise also fall in this category. And, indeed, this is the most difficult to do, but most often, these are the people who need it most.

Let’s try our best to live this simple command everywhere, and love those close to us who need it so much!

⁸You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: “Love others as you love yourself.”

Scripture
James 2:8-13

Reflection
Do you live the summary of the Ten Commandments?
Who are your “others”?
Where do you have to go and live love now?

Prayer
Father, I know this summary of the law, but it doesn’t show everywhere in my life! I want to live towards everybody, especially those closest to me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.