Favorite verse:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
— Leviticus 19:18

I used to think Jesus introduced love as the central message. Then I found this verse in the Old Testament and realized his voice was echoing something ancient. It made the Bible feel less divided — more like one story speaking with one heart.

Verse I try to live by:

*“Love one another, *as I have loved you.”
— John 13:34

The command isn’t new. The way to love is. Not just kindness — but love that gives, love that costs something. That both moves me and shows me how far I have to go.

Where to start if you’re new:
Read Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19, then Matthew 22 and John 13. You’ll hear the same melody, growing stronger.

Final thought:
The Old Testament plants the seed of love. Jesus lets it bloom.

The following has had a huge impact on my life, and yet as I return to it I am comforted:

Luke 12: 24-31

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

My favorite is Isaiah 53:5, because it's a beautifully poetic expression of the gospel:

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed

There are many verses to live by, but perhaps well summed up by Ecclesiastes 12:13:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

It's easy to get lost in vain philosophies or questions about life. But in the end, it's all very simple: fear God and keep his commandments. We make things complicated for ourselves.

If someone were new to the Bible or Christianity, I'd probably suggest starting with Genesis! It's foundational for everything else.

The Bible tells a single narrative with consistent theology across a thousand years and multiple authors. Pretty amazing when you think about it!

https://m.stacker.news/66960

Genesis

22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

With all due respect, I think the Bible and everything surrounding it is a sham created to control the weak-minded, with the false illusion that someday when they die they will be rewarded. The most toxic, hypocritical, and despicable people I have ever met are faithful and indoctrinated with this.

The Vatican, the church is synonymous with the mafia, corruption, pedophilia, and all sorts of evil things.
They are among the wealthiest on the planet, and they only use their wealth to maintain their criminal organization; they do not use it to help the gullible faithful who follow them.