“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great but judge your neighbor fairly. Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD. Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:15-18)
This is the lifestyle that must be lived for the world to see that you are my children and part of my kingdom.
– You must stand for justice and be determined not to pervert it in your dealings both with the poor and with the great.
– You must carefully watch your words and be determined not to slander others.
– You must not put the life of others in danger, whether physical or spiritual.
– You must not hate another person in your heart.
– You must be willing to lovingly rebuke another, for silence is sharing in their guilt.
– You must renounce the desire for revenge and be determined not to hold a grudge.
Above all, I want you to love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself. It’s not that this lifestyle earns you anything in my kingdom, it is by grace that you are in my kingdom; this lifestyle is the un-disputable evidence that you are part of my kingdom, and this evidence is your greatest witness to the world. That is why this is equal to the command to love me with all your heart and why all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.
— February 25, 2021