The Greatest Commandment

And one of them, versed in the law, asked, testing him: ¨Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?¨  He said to him: ¨You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.´  Matthew 22:35-37 (Reference Bible)

By the different divisions in the church of Jesus´s day coming to Him and questioning Him, we can find for ourselves an immense treasure of instruction.  They pressed Him on points which serve to enlighten us too.  This is not a strange concept and in no way original.  However, do we stop often enough to consider for ourselves where our hearts betray us or demonstrate our understanding of these passages?

Nearly every group under the umbrella of belief in God would nod their head in firm agreement to this passage.  If a person were to state it in our presence, most of us might even say ¨Amen, brother, You are correct in declaring our obligation to God.¨ But this one single-most important of all commandments found within the Bible, are we really concerned with it?

If we stop to consider the words, it is a pretty big thing to try to encompass in so few words.  Love with all your heart!  Love with your complete soul!  And love using your entire mind!  Who can possibly do all that?  Who around us is even attempting to do such a thing?

Jesus continued in the next verses to say that the next important verse was like the first but in loving other people too.

Perhaps we should remind ourselves often that these two commandments, which are not so easy to accomplish, are in fact what we should throw ourselves into.  If our King and Savior has revealed to us the importance of them, maybe the greater part of our efforts should be in finding a Way to carry them out.

Unfortunately we are humans and do have our limitations, but when we stand one day to give account, this excuse might not bring us much comfort.  We have a tendency to get distracted even while knowing the importance SHOULD be on these commands, but we run off on any other tangent and concern ourselves with something which is perhaps a little easier to swallow.

So then, you and I, along with the most religious and the most spiritual of persons should dedicate ourselves firstly and foremost on this utmost of pursuits of the soul.  Instead of dismissing the subject as if it was a once-done thing we settled long ago.  Perhaps we should dive headlong into the heart of our Savior in the hopes of finding His verdict on the true condition and direction of our longings.  Are we sufficiently in love with Him right now?  Are we giving Him are complete heart without withholding a little something for ourselves?  Do we actually give Him our entire mind and up to the last remaining part of our souls?

Dear Jesus, your words are just as helpful to us today as to those You tried to teach so many years ago.  Please open our ears to hear them today.  Remind us all of where our attention needs to be.  Take us by the hand and enable us in every way so that we may please You today.  Show us that not just a little part of our heart needs to go out to our God, but the entire heart, soul and mind.  This is a lot and we are far from being able to carry it out.  But we would know the Way and with Your help and guidance You may accomplish Your will for us and in us.  Come we pray, remove those parts of our hearts that we gave to other things and then remain there and reign there supreme, inside of our heart and soul and mind.

In Your name and for Your glory we pray,

Amen

Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑