Jesus was getting used to operating under the critical eye of the Sadducees and Pharisees. He had encountered them many times in His ministry and had always used the beauty of God’s truth to stay one step ahead of them. Today would be no different.
The Pharisees had heard that Jesus had stumped the Sadducees, so one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a loaded question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Jesus’ answer summed up the call on every Christian who has followed Him in the 2,000 years since:
“And you shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all our soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
The very heart beat for everyone in Christ is contained in this statement: our role in life is to love God and to love everyone with whom we come into contact with.
Jesus has not asked us to do something He has not already done Himself. God always obeys His own word – He cannot go against His own decrees.
Never doubt that you are absolutely and completely loved by God. You are His beloved. Your role in life is to receive that love, return it to Him, and pass it along to everyone around you.
Love Him with everything in you–it all belongs to Him anyway. And love anyone you come into contact with; anyone within touching distance. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, where you’re going, or who you’re meeting – you are called to love others.
God has taken the lead on this. He has come to each and every one of us and poured His love into our spirits:
I love you with all of My heart, all of My soul, all of My mind, and all of My strength. Everything in Me is dedicated to loving you. I’ve poured this love into you and you’re going to have the pleasure of giving it back to Me.
This is our greatest blessing: we are loved passionately by God.
Is there an aspect of your life that needs an upgrade at this time? Do you have a connection with an individual or a group that is difficult for you? Do you require an upgrade in how God sees them, and how you can be a catalyst for them to experience God more fully?
If love never fails [1 Cor. 13:8a] how do you think that love can make your relationship with God and others flourish in a higher way?
PS) I talk more about our role in life and how you can experience God’s love in my book, The Language of Promise. This devotional book will help you break free from a performance mindset and encounter His love language. Click here to get your copy!
