There are roughly 613 commandments in the Bible. I’ve heard people say, “How in the world can a person follow a religion or God who has so many ‘laws’ and requires so much of us?”

I did some quick research to see if I could find a number on how many U.S. laws there are. There isn’t a set number. Nobody knows. There are so many “they” can’t even count them. For a rough comparison, there are over 20,000 laws in regards to gun ownership and use. Let that sink in for a moment.

Sometimes I become overwhelmed with trying to live Christ-like. Every day, I try and do my very best but at the end of the day, I can always find something to repent for, something I could have done better, something I messed up, somewhere where I missed the mark. It’s easy to find yourself in a position of, “why even try, what’s the point?”

The point is Christ gave it all for it all. Let’s say that again. Christ gave it all for it all. He gave it all for us. He gave it all because he knew where we would find ourselves at the end of each day if we fully examined ourselves and our walk with Him.

Sometimes we think we are the only ones that think this way. We may look at our brothers and sisters in Christ who we attend church with and think, “Man, they have it all together. They make living for God look easy.” Truth is, there may be people who look at me and you like that. I can tell you, if someone is looking at me like that, they are grossly misled.

This is one reason I am so big on sharing testimonies. It shows others they aren’t in this alone. That’s the lie of the enemy and the easiest one he can get any one of us to believe, that we are alone. I told God when I rededicated my life to him that I would be a living testimony of His Word. I would openly share my walk with Him because I know for the longest time, I didn’t think anyone else would understand where I was at and the struggles I had. That is very isolating and when we are isolated, satan can have his way with us a lot easier than if we are surrounded by others who understand and can pray and lift us up because they know what we are going through.

Even in our isolation, God is still there. I think of Jesus and when he was tempted in the wilderness. He was by himself. He had been fasting for 40 days. I don’t know about you but after 40 hours of not eating my demeanor changes. Jesus held his own though. He was tempted and failed not. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So even in those moments when we feel most alone, we have this written testimony of what Jesus did to meditate on and strengthen us. This is why it is so important that we read the Word. It is living water. It is life giving. It is the Truth. It saves. It gives. It fixes. It heals. It is everything we will ever need and it only has 613 commandments.

Amazingly enough, I see that even the people back in his day struggled with this. A Pharisee, one who was a lawyer (one who knows laws), asked which commandment was the greatest. He may as well have said, “There are so many commandments your God has given, how do we follow them all? Which is the greatest? Which should we follow first? How are we supposed to follow so many laws?”

Jesus answered with the perfect answer: LOVE.

If we love, it covers all the commandments because all the commandments were written out of love. If we choose love above all else, we operate in freedom not only for ourselves but we allow others to walk in it as well. They may not choose to but the opportunity is provided to them. You can put any one of your actions up against the question, “Did I do this in love?” and you will find where you need to repent, where you need to praise and where you need to be patient. Jesus made it so simple for us and yet we continue to over complicate things so often.

Preachers don’t preach on topics they haven’t already lived or dealt with. Remember that the next time you find yourself listening to a message that seems to be meant just for you. It was for them first. This post, was for me first. I’ve been working on my love walk and I’ve been failing miserably every day but I know at the end of the day I have things to give thanks for, I have things to repent for, I have adjustments that can be made and I have a new day coming to try again. Most importantly, I have a God, THE God, to praise and Jesus to thank for shedding his blood and covering it all. I have a lot to cover.

Matthew 22:36-40

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.