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Day 259 (Psalms 133:1-3) (A Song of Ascents. Of David.) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forevermore. When you turn on the news, you don’t hear about people living in unity. Instead, you hear about school shootings, slanderous campaign ads, and people trying to make a fast buck. It doesn’t seem like anyone wants to be kind to their neighbor. David said it was good and pleasant for people to dwell together in unity. He described it as precious oil and the dew of Mount Hermon where God commanded the blessing—life forevermore. Many Christians only shake their head at the news, they don’t try to make things better. How do you make things better when the news in your neighborhood, your city, or the nation, grabs your attention? You start with prayer. Then you look for ways to help your neighbor. God’s greatest commandment to His people is: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. (Deuteronomy 6:4-8) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (NKJV) (Leviticus 19:18) You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (NKJV) Jesus summed it up this way: (Matthew 22:36-40) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (NKJV) God’s law was written in stone. When you treat your neighbor as you treat yourself, with love, you take the first step in stamping out evil. You can’t change anything written in stone. You can’t change God’s love for you. What you can change is how you treat others. When you treat others with love and kindness, God will bless you and evil will flee from you. Let’s pray: Father, let Your love guide me in loving others. Let me pray for them and show them Your love through kindness. Show me what I can do to make life better in my neighborhood, city, state, and country. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 30 March 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay