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MARK: Jesus #Unfiltered - Day 64
What is at the heart of being a Christian? What are the most important things to being a follower of Jesus? These aren’t small questions but the answer is actually pretty easy, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” That is the heart of it.
One of the scribes overheard Jesus talking with the other religious leaders when they were testing him just before. Whether his intent is malicious or genuine, we aren’t too sure, that isn’t the point, but his question is a big one. He asks Jesus about what is the most important commandment in the whole of the law. For the ordinary reader of the law this would be quite the task. After all, the law is quite large. The first five books of our Bible are full of the law. However, Jesus’ answer, as we saw above, would have been nothing new to the scribe.
The implications of following this law are quite large. It begins with essentially saying, listen up! The Lord our God is one! This means that there are no other gods and no one else to follow. Therefore, love him with everything that you have. Put him first in the way that you love, the way that you are, the way that you think, and the way that you act. Love him above all things even including our spouses, families, parents, money, and various other distractions and if we do this, then we will follow all the commandments. Now, I know that I can’t do this perfectly, and I know that I am saved by grace and not good deeds, however, when we repent, we come under the lordship of Jesus. So, he has the right to rule our lives because our lives belong to him. There is no opt-out of this command, no other way but to put God first. Simply, to trust and obey. MC
Questions
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your law which is good and perfect. Thank you that Jesus lived it perfectly and yet still went to the cross so that we can still be in relationship with you because we can’t live it perfectly. We are sorry for when we don’t love you as we ought. Please forgive us and help us to live for you each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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By St Bart's ToowoombaWhat is at the heart of being a Christian? What are the most important things to being a follower of Jesus? These aren’t small questions but the answer is actually pretty easy, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” That is the heart of it.
One of the scribes overheard Jesus talking with the other religious leaders when they were testing him just before. Whether his intent is malicious or genuine, we aren’t too sure, that isn’t the point, but his question is a big one. He asks Jesus about what is the most important commandment in the whole of the law. For the ordinary reader of the law this would be quite the task. After all, the law is quite large. The first five books of our Bible are full of the law. However, Jesus’ answer, as we saw above, would have been nothing new to the scribe.
The implications of following this law are quite large. It begins with essentially saying, listen up! The Lord our God is one! This means that there are no other gods and no one else to follow. Therefore, love him with everything that you have. Put him first in the way that you love, the way that you are, the way that you think, and the way that you act. Love him above all things even including our spouses, families, parents, money, and various other distractions and if we do this, then we will follow all the commandments. Now, I know that I can’t do this perfectly, and I know that I am saved by grace and not good deeds, however, when we repent, we come under the lordship of Jesus. So, he has the right to rule our lives because our lives belong to him. There is no opt-out of this command, no other way but to put God first. Simply, to trust and obey. MC
Questions
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your law which is good and perfect. Thank you that Jesus lived it perfectly and yet still went to the cross so that we can still be in relationship with you because we can’t live it perfectly. We are sorry for when we don’t love you as we ought. Please forgive us and help us to live for you each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.