“The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”  Romans 13:9-10

You might have noticed that the five “do-nots” listed above are the exact same items as the last five of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17.  You might also know that Commandment #5 is “Honor your father and your mother  .  .  .”  These six commandments cover, in a general way, how we are supposed to treat other people as we live our lives on this earth.  What we should do, or not do, to satisfy God.  Along this same line, the first four of the Ten Commandments cover how we should treat God.  1] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart  .  .  ; 2] Have no other Gods besides Him; 3] Do not make (or keep) any idols; and 4] Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; (because it’s God’s Day).  These are the things we do to honor God.

In Matthew 22:37-40:  Jesus said .  .  , “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Did you get that?  Love God and love your neighbor.  It’s the fulfillment of ALL THE LAW and ALL THE PROPHETS. (That means the whole Old Testament)  ALL of Gods requirements for us on this earth are summed up, FULFILLED, in those two commandments.

Of course then, the real question is, “How do you accomplish that?”  And the answer is:  Surrender your whole self to God; trust Him completely; so that He sends His Spirit to dwell in you heart.  Then you will have the ability to love God and love others.  Because it is not by your power or your will or your righteousness; it is by God’s Power and His Will and His Righteousness that we are ABLE to truly love Him and love others.