²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Thanks for tuning in to GLOBAL REACHOUT. I am Sister Angelie, and starting from November, we have launched the program called the "Kingdom Business Culture". This program is based on the workplace training course by GLOBAL JIREH entitled, "Christ-centred Entrepreneurship". This course was compiled by Pastor Tony TAY Meng Hiang to help brothers and sisters live out Christ in the workplace.

We encourage brothers and sisters to sign up for this course, so that they will not only have the opportunity to communicate directly with the instructors, but also establish long-term and close contacts with the kingdom business operators in the group, learn from each other and encourage one another, and put the theory into practice. Living out Christ in the workplace. For those who are interested, you can refer to the end of the manuscript and register by email.

In our previous episode, we discussed "How to Overcome the Temptation and Challenge of Corruption". And today, we're going to continue our discussion on "The Greatest Commandment."

Due to the great harm caused by corruption and bribery, the authorities of various countries have enacted laws to prevent them. Of course, the existence of the law is necessary, but if there is no love in people's hearts, the law will sometimes tempt people to commit crimes. Why do you say that? If you look at the Pharisees, it is precisely because they understand the rules of conduct that they become hypocrites, and even yearn to do things that are forbidden by the law because of their rebellious sinful nature. So, in order to put an end to corruption and bribery, we need to address the root of the problem and keep the first commandment—love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

It is written: "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22b). This verse reminds us that God does not delight in mere behavior! God who does not love falsehood and loves the truth wants us to be consistent inside and out. If our hearts are to be pure, we must keep the most important commandments. When the scribes asked Jesus, "Which of the commandments is the most important?" Jesus replied, " Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no greater commandment than these two." (Mark 12:28-31).

We have seen that Lord Jesus emphasized two great commandments, the first is to love God, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. The first rule overrides the second rule, and the second rule is based on the first rule. The first commandment is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is one of three verses that Jews recite every morning and evening (the other two are Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and Numbers 15: 37-41. The three passages are collectively called "Shema," which in Hebrew means "Listen!" and is an imperative). Yes, we have to listen! Quietly listening to the voice of God, this prophetic quality of life enables us to know the command from God. Our God is the only God, so it is right that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to focus on this God and desire to be one with true God. This priestly relationship motivates our willingness to submit to God. Here we see that if a person lacks the priestly characteristic of loving God, he cannot correctly interpret God's will, and therefore loses his prophetic character; at the same time, such a person cannot have a kingly character and the ability to obey the law, because the essence of all laws is love, and only love can fulfill the law. In short: everything we do in Christ is effective only when there is love in our hearts.

Only by keeping the Great Commandment can we have the vitality to obey the law. So, how should Christians keep to the Great Commandment?

Firstly, we must completely deny ourselves and only think of the glory of God - that's what it means to love God; secondly, love your neighbor as yourself - we're to love others the way we love ourselves. In other words, people who can't love themselves don't know how to love others. We must love ourselves first, based on our love for God, and love ourselves so that our lives can glorify God, and then we must love others. Loving others after loving yourself is a selfish act, and loving others without loving yourself first often results in your own insecurity. The definition of loving self is: a life of total self-denial, only thinking of eternal reward. The definition of loving others is: a life of total self-denial, only for the benefit of others. Love benefits all parties, selfishness hurts all parties. In motivation, we love ourselves and others by loving God; in action, we love God by loving our neighbor as ourselves. The integration of the three can establish a mutually beneficial relationship between people. If the love between people is based on the love of God, then the love will not be partial.

Finally, let's take a look at why listening to the Great Commandment is so critical from a modern medical perspective. Modern medicine has found that the human brain secretes a variety of substances collectively called "Happy Chemical", of which there are four representative ones. The first is dopamine. Dopamine makes people feel pleasure and makes people yearn to achieve their objectives. It is a chemical substance oriented by the kingship objectives. The second is oxytocin. Oxytocin makes people feel safe and helps us overcome the difficulties in front of us. It is a chemical substance oriented by priestly relations. The third is serotonin, which can make people passionate and have leadership, and is a chemical substance oriented by priestly relations. The fourth is endorphin, which can cut off the transmission of pain signals and play an analgesic role, allowing people to continue to execute plans when suffering or injured. It is a chemical substance oriented by the kingship objectives. Note that these chemicals are secreted by the brain, which means that a person's emotional capacity is largely dominated by the brain, which in turn affects a person's will and behavior. Why should we listen carefully to the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor as ourselves? Because only in this way can we have the greatest power to accomplish the work that can only be done through love.

To sum up the above content: The behavior of corruption and bribery stems from selfish mind. Only when we are willing to love God and love their neighbor as themselves can we fulfill the law and stay away from corruption and bribery. Because people love God, they are willing to sacrifice themselves to glorify God. In order to glorify God, people must manage themselves well, and manage themselves in order to serve others. This is the relationship between loving God, loving oneself, and loving others. Christians are to listen to the greatest commandment so that we may be aligned with the Lord, empowered by the Lord, and accomplish the work that can only be accomplished through love.

Dear friends, this is where we end today's episode. I hope to see you again on the next episode of Kingdom Business Culture!

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Discussion 

1. What are the similarities and differences between the love that is repeatedly emphasized in the Bible and the love that ordinary people often talk about?

2. "Love" is the most important commandment, even in a work environment. Do you have any personal experience with this?

3. Using an example, how should the relationship between loving God, loving oneself, and loving others be reflected in business management?