To Do Lists and Christ's Second Greatest Commandment

Contrary to popular opinion, the second greatest commandment is sufficient (in the context of the first greatest commandment) to guide us through the Christian life. Too often, its generality is mistaken for impracticality. We don't believe Christ to be precise enough.  He doesn't tell us where to go, who to approach, what to say or give to them, and so on. As a pastor, I get the plaguing question many times in a given month - "What am I supposed to do with my life?" When I answer, "Love your neighbor as yourself," I get odd looks. The answer just isn't precise or practical enough.

The second greatest commandment is not as precise as we would like for at least two (related) reasons.

First, the commandment keeps us from being lord of our own lives. It lovingly and authoritatively keeps us in our created position as servants of our King. The general commandment to love helps us to see that life is not about accomplishing tasks for the sake of accomplishing tasks. The purpose of any commandment is love, and love demands intimate and continual relationship with both our Lord and others. The generality of the commandment keeps us connected to Christ. It reminds us we need him every moment.

The Lord may certainly [particularly] call someone to, say, build their house in the hood; but this is only after that person has followed the commandment (by grace) to love his or her neighbor who lives in the hood. In order to love, he or she must live where the object(s) of that love live(s). The precise command to build serves only as a means to meet the greater command to love. And this must always be the case.

With that said, the other reason for the imprecise nature of the second commandment is that it establishes Christ as Lord. It dethrones other masters. If you think about it, other masters (including ourselves) are extremely precise in their commands. Those who are "mastered" by their to-do lists know this truth well. These masters fill our lives with so many tasks that we cannot possibly have time to love others. In some ways we like these masters more than the Lord. Their particular instructions are manageable and controllable. I can build a house. It is a concrete, doable command.

It's a whole lot more convenient than loving the Mexican immigrant I pass by as I walk into Lowe's to buy light fixtures. Buying the fixture for the house is controllable. But the immigrant may ask me for work, money, food, time or whatever. If I stop to "love" him, I must relinquish all control of my life. If I follow the command to love, I don't call the shots. Someone else, whom I cannot control, does.

But, if I stop to "love" him, I will soon hear the particular ways in which this person needs to be loved. Ironically, if I love him, my to-do list soon fills up.

The general command to love, if we trust our Lord in following it, soon fills our particular list. The best list is the one written by someone else's needs and desires. The best to-dos are those that ultimately end in loving others. The particular commands, however, that end in filling our own selfish desires, will keep us from Christ's greatest commandments. They will ultimately keep us from Christ himself.