Sometimes I picture the religious leaders of Jesus' day as a group of Elmer Fudds.
Dare 2 Share - "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God..." (Psalm 40:3)
Sometimes I picture the religious leaders of Jesus’ day as a group of Elmer Fudds (as in: "ooooo, I hates that waskly Jesus!") One day when Jesus was minding His Father’s business at the temple, when the people who should have been ministering to people came up with this harebrained idea:
The leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to try to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. (Mark 12:13)
Why were they doing this? Because they despised Jesus out of pure jealousy. They threw some tricky questions at Him for a while, but soon they figured out that the Son of God is just a little smarter than your average person. In the midst of their devious game, however, a very positive thing happened. There was one follower of God who had been listening to Jesus’ amazing answers, so he decided to ask an honest question. Here’s how it went:
One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength'. The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself'. No other commandment is greater than these."
(Mark 12:28-31)
This was more than just a trivial pursuit game with Jesus; this man honestly wanted to know which commandment was the most important to God. Why would that be so hard to answer? Well for one thing, at that time in history there were no less than 613 different commandments that the religious leaders demanded that you keep. ( And you thought that ten was a big number!) For another thing, many leaders disagreed over which commandment was the ‘heaviest’, so for most it was just a matter of opinion.
So Jesus wraps up the teaching of the entire Bible into one basic formula: Because God is God, love Him with your whole being and love your neighbor as yourself. Genius! If you love God that completely, you would never do anything to break His heart- therefore you’ll keep His commandments naturally. As well, if you really do love God, you will love those made in His image- which happens to be every human on the face of the earth. Jesus knew that it impossible to love God and disobey Him, and it is also impossible to love God and treat others wrongfully.
Here are a couple definitions to help you take a last look in your spiritual mirror at the end of this year:
Love God= thinking, saying, and doing only those things that make Him smile
Love neighbor= thinking, saying, and doing to others only that which you would want done to you.
Skip the resolutions this week. Instead, make a solemn vow and undertake a serious effort to love God and love those around you in the new year.
Questions:
1) How would you rate your love for God and others?
2) What is one change you need to make in this area in the coming year?
3) Do others see you as a person who knows and obeys the greatest commandment? Why or why not?
Prayer for the New Year
Dear Lord,
In this New Year, I want to pray.
I give You my life each day.
Please, give me the strength I need to accept Your Will.
"Here I am, I have come to do your will."
Heb 10:9
You, O Lord, make the desert bloom,
and take away the gloom.
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
Isa 35:1-2
Take me by the hand and lead me,
To walk the walk of Your love and Your glory.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
Ps 143:10-11
Because You have blessed me with Your love,
May I love You more each day,
this I pray:
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Ps 18:1-2
Because You have given me faith,
May I trust You more each day,
and this I say:
Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Ps 9:10
Because You are the Master of all creation,
May I serve You more each day,
and quietly wait and pray:
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isa 40:28-31
Lord teach me,
To rejoice in You.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice!
Phil 4:4
To proclaim Your glory to all nations,
To praise Your name in every occasion,
To sing Your song with jubilation,
To work for all without cessation.
It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name,
O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
Ps 92:1-4
Lord guide me,
So You may increase in me,
And I may trust You totally.
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Ps 25:4-5
That the song of praise within my heart,
May resound for Your glory to human ears
With joy and praise for all to hear.
I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—
I, whom you have redeemed.
Ps 71:22-23
Lord help us.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Heb 4:16
To build the nation to rise to the occasion.
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Ps 20:6-8
To bring the people together and sing Your glory.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Ps 95:6-7
To work and grow together holy.
Making of this land the story
Of Your love in every heart.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
Ps 63:3-5
May our families and friends grow in Your love,
and praise You
in sickness and in health,
In good times and in bad.
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Num 6:24-26
May Your grace and Peace warm our hearts,
And never depart.
May Your will for our lives be done.
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
Matt 6:9-13
Guide us, bless us, and protect us,
today and always.
Amen.
Written by Marta – December 29, 2000
(Courtesy: http://faithleap.home.att.net/)
