“If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor,

Leviticus 6:1-4

6 The Lord said to Moses: 2 “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, 3 or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— 4 when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found,
Today’s title is “Love God Or Love People”

Some people love God dearly. They even say that they can sacrifice their own life if it is for God. They are very religious. They pray quite frequently and fervently. They keep the religious regulation such as keeping Sabbath meticulously. But somehow they don’t care for other people. I am not talking about the Pharisees whom Jesus criticized harshly for their hypocrisy. I am thinking about real people that I have encountered in the past. They must have read how Jesus got angry at the hypocrisy of the so-called religious people. Jesus wasn’t impressed by people's overflowing religiosity that lacks in love and compassion for other people including families and neighbors. Jesus clearly showed His emphasis on love and compassion for people in need through the famous story of the good Samaritan. Today’s passage shows the same mindset of God. Here God says that anyone that does a disservice to the neighbors by not being faithful to them is the same as unfaithful to the Lord. If you are serious about the bible, you can’t separate being faithful to God from being faithful to people. If you love God, you love the people He loves. If you do not love your neighbor, you do not love God. You can’t have one without the other. Jesus kept this principle even in His greatest commandment. Jesus stressed loving God wholeheartedly of course. But what must have struck many Jews by surprise was His emphasis on loving neighbors in the same way. People of God do not choose to love either God or man. God clearly tells us that if you are not faithful to your neighbor, there is no way that you can be faithful to Me. How much do you love God? The answer greatly depends on how loving and trustworthy you are to the people around you.