Audacious -- Week 3
Read: Matthew 22: 33-40
Reflect: In this passage of scripture, the Pharisees were asking Jesus questions to trap Him. They asked which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus couldn’t be trapped, though. He came to fulfill the entire Law, and His answer proved that. The greatest commandment has to do with our love for our Lord. Our priority commandment is to love God with our whole heart, whole soul, whole mind, and every bit of our strength.
I believe Jesus was saying that when we love the Lord with everything we have, the natural outcome will be to follow His Law. When our hearts love Jesus fully, we will automatically follow after Him. We will do what He says, because we’ll want what He wants.
Respond: Clearly, our love for Jesus determines how well we live our Christian lives. Our love for Jesus will determine how well we share Him with others. In your journal, would you recount the last time you shared your Christianity with someone. While sharing, did you tell about things that Christians should do OR did you share WHO it is that we follow. The answer to that question could determine the temperature of our love for Jesus.
Renew: Spend some time praying the words of Psalm 63 again. David was a man after God’s own heart. It seems he loved the Lord fully. As you’re praying his words, ask God to uncover any place where love isn’t the prevailing feeling you have toward God.
“O God, You art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have beheld You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So, I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Psalm 63: 1-4
“God, you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you.” Psalm 63: 1-4; Message version
