About this episode

The episode discusses the intertwined nature of loving God and loving one's neighbor as presented in Matthew 22:37-39, comparing it to the elements of effective public speaking.

Matthew 22:37-39 (CEB) He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself . For years, I taught public speaking, and one question came up again and again: Which matters more, content or delivery? My answer was always the same. That's the wrong question. Effective speaking requires good content, thoughtful organization, and engaging delivery. You can study those three elements separately, but you can't separate them in a real speech. They work together as one. I sometimes compare it to the human body. We study the circulatory system and the respiratory system as though they are separate, but inside the lungs they become so closely intertwined that it's difficult to say where one ends and the other begins. They aren't competing systems. They are cooperating parts of one living body. I thought of that as I read today's Scripture. A legal expert asked Jesus, "Which is the greatest commandment?" Jesus refused to get backed into identifying a single commandment, something rabbis had already debated for a long…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jim Stovall, Greta Smith

Topics covered

• love
• commandments
• public speaking
• effective communication
• spirituality
• Christian teachings

Keywords

• love God
• love neighbor
• public speaking
• effective communication
• commandments
• spirituality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: First United Methodist Church

Books & works: Matthew 22:37-39

Places: Maryville, TN

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