The Transformer-Monday March 23rd 2020

Loving others is a commandment, not a choice.

Main Scripture: Mark 12:31

Just a few short years ago I was in middle and high school, just like many of you. In all honesty, it seems like yesterday that I was roaming the halls of Greer High School in my “fresh” nikes, slicked back combed over hair, my favorite braves jersey with the newest pair of jeans. At one time in my life I thought I was “hot stuff”. In all reality this false identity that I created for myself caused me to change the way I treated others around me. When I thought of loving others, I thought I was “too cool” for that. I was missing the point on one of Jesus’ main teachings that we find in Mark 12:31. At this point in my life I was viewing loving others as a choice instead of what Jesus taught that loving others should be, a commandment.

“The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”-Mark 12:31

This text is as plain as it gets, no matter who you are, where you’ve been or even where you are going loving others is something that we as Christians should be doing simply because Jesus commanded that we should. I think you all are pretty cool, just ask Hannah, I talk about how cool I think you all are in your own individual ways. With this being said, none of you are cool enough to not love someone. Everyone needs to be loved with the kind of love that Jesus lived out for us while he was on this earth. Love isn’t a choice, as much as we like to make it out to be. If you don’t take anything away from today’s devotion I ask that you remember this, some of you may have seen this on my personal facebook page last week.

If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to “Love our Neighbor as ourselves” than our biggest issue in America isn’t the virus, it’s the disease of thinking loving others is a choice instead of a commandment. I am greatly convicted of this.

As you leave today’s devotion I want to encourage you to do two things.

1. Pray-Ask God to show you situations and certain people that you need to love because He’s commanded you too, not because it’s a choice.
2. Love someone-I know many of us are practicing social distancing so we can’t love someone by a kind word or a helping hand necessarily face to face during this time. One thing we can do is send an encouraging text/phone call to someone we know needs to see the love of Jesus! I encourage you to do that today to at least one person!

Also, if you are a student in Transformed Student Ministry I want to really encourage you to post what you learned from today’s short devotion in our GroupMe message. Not only will it show me that students are actually engaging in The Transformer devotions but also someone else in the group may benefit from what God personally showed you. You are not alone. Jesus loves you. I love you, now go and love someone with the love of Jesus today. It’s not a choice, but a commandment.

Love and Blessings,

Brady Henderson

Student Pastor

Transformed Student Ministry