“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10, ESV).

     I am a fan of the television series NCIS. I also am intrigued by Gibb’s ninety-one rules. Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictitious naval investigator played by actor, Mark Harmon. Gibb’s inherited a list of ninety-one rules from a mentor as a means of guiding his decisions from day to day. Included in the list are:

         Rule #8:   Never take anything for granted.
         Rule #15:  Always work as a team.
         Rule #39: There is no such thing as a coincidence.
         Rule #51: Sometimes you’re wrong.

Some claim that rules are meant to be broken. These are probably the same people who either are unemployed or serving time behind bars.

     The truth is that rules and norms are helpful for directing the choices we make. Developmental psychologist, Todd Rose, claims that our brains are lazy. Our reliance upon rules and norms correlates with the immense amount of energy our brains use every day. Much of our cognitive activity is unconscious and consumes about twenty percent of our physical energy.

     Since our brains require so much power to operate, roles and norms play a vital role in the hundreds of daily choices we make. These guidelines place our brains on autopilot and prevent us from expending more work than necessary.

     In John’s gospel, Jesus encourages his followers to abide by the commandments he established. Jesus’ list of rules is more abbreviated that those of Jethro Gibbs. Jesus claims that when we purse the twin commandments to love God and our neighbors, we will fulfill God’s law.

     For example, when I hold true to a promise I make to a friend, I am discharging my pledge to love that person. Or when I refrain from verbally vexing a driver who cuts me off in traffic, I am making good on my promise to abide by the rule of unconditional love.

     Frankly, Jesus’ rules are a lot easier to remember than those of Gibb’s. Even when the situation is less than clear, I can fall back on the following question. “What would Jesus do (or not do)?”

     Falling back on these two commandments to love can help your brain rest a lot easier. And for you Gibb’s fans, following the rules of love may just save you a slap upside the head.