Today’s Reading:
Mark 12:28-34 (Deut. 6:5)
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]." (Deut. 6:5) AMPV
In view of the multiple worship of Baals and other gods among the ancient Jews, it was imperative to give a divine insight into whom the God of Israel is. The Lord our God is one! He alone is worthy of worship. The people's love for the Lord and their neighbours is to be on the basis of the love of God towards them, and of his identification with them (v.4; 1Jn. 4:19-21). This love must be in whole - involving their whole being (4:29; Jos. 22:5). The words - heart, ... soul, and strength stand for the intellect, the will, the emotions, the spiritual and physical being - that is, all that a person is and can be or do for God. This commandment is the core of God's covenant with Israel (v.5; Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). They are to keep the commandment in their heart, and impress it upon their children, day, and night (Jer.31-33).
By the time of Jesus Christ, the Jews have accumulated several laws, according to one historian record – 613 laws. Therefore, some of the religious leaders of his time tried to distinguish between the major and the minor of the laws; others fear to remove any from it thinking they are all binding. I am sure this prompted the teacher of law to want to know which of the laws are most important. He was positively inclined to Jesus’ response and praised him (vv.28, 32-33). Jesus described the teacher as having understanding and
knowledge, and that he is nearer to the kingdom of God (v. 34). Jesus affirms that the love for neighbour is a natural, logical love which overflows from the love for God (v.31). God’s law is not burdensome, and Jesus Christ has simplified it to the barest minimum – Love God, Love yourself, and love your neighbour as yourself, this is encompassing. When we sincerely love God, take care of ourselves, and care for our neighbours as we do to ourselves, then we have virtually satisfied the law of God. When we love ourselves and our neighbour, we will not think of shedding innocent blood, we will not think of stealing what does not belong to us, we will not dare to think of taking for ourselves and family, the inheritance that belongs to all. We are to let these be uppermost in our thought, decisions, and actions. Our obedience to God comes from our heart. Imagine a child who is supposed to be studying for his exams. Whenever the father or mother is around, he tends to be studying, but anytime they are not around, the child is busy watching film under cover. Who is he deceiving? He is deceiving himself of course, because the result will speak to the world. The consequences of sin is not hidden, all eyes will see it.
In essence, in our Christian journey, when we obey this great commandment; and are able to make God the object of our love, we shall have a purpose that goes beyond anything we can imagine or that our strength can achieve. When our desire, our longing for God dominates our heart, then our minds will stay focused on ways to serve God and then our actions will further the kingdom of God here on earth and also in heaven. But if you are reading this and have not surrendered our lives to the lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ, then it will be difficult for you to keep this commandment. We have to first give your lives to Jesus Christ, then we stand to benefit a lot from this position in Christ.
Olufunmilayo Titilola Adekusibe
Prayer:
Help me, Lord to love You with all my heart, my soul, my mind, and my strength and to truly love my neighbour as I love myself, in Jesus name.
Father, teach me and empower me to have burden for perishing souls, in Jesus name.
My Father, gather together every disintegrated organs of my body, and strengthen me to function to your glory, in Jesus name.
Father, let Your fire of revival fall upon Your Church, in Jesus name.
Nigeria! Nigeria! Nigeria! Nigeria! Nigeria! Nigeria! Nigeria! Be loosed, come out of the grip of the wicked, begin to shine for the Light of God has come upon you, in Jesus name.
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