Tuesday August 29, 2023

Today is Tuesday, August 29 and we are exploring what it means to trust God’s Word.

As I enter this time of prayer, I still my body, quiet my mind and slow my breathing. I close my eyes and relax in the presence of the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Holy and blessed Lord, I long for you to speak into my life and circumstances. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see and a heart to understand the good message you have for me today as I study the Holy Scriptures. Amen.

I praise God for his righteousness and seek his wisdom with the words of Psalm 37.

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. Psalm 37:29-31

Pause and Pray

God’s Law is contained in the Old Testament writings of Moses and the Prophets and realizes completion in the teachings of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, one of the Pharisees, an expert in the Law, tested Jesus with a question. Which is the greatest commandment? Jesus replies expertly by quoting two Old Testament Laws, Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. His reply has come to be known as The Greatest Commandment. The Law of God is a law of love.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

There are roughly 613 commands in the Old Testament of our Bible. Which one is the greatest and most important? The Son of God knows the answer. His reply speaks to the world as succinctly and wisely today as it did thousands of years ago. I am to love. Love God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength. I am to love others. Love others as myself. In a few sentences Jesus has summarized the entire Biblical testimony for me. This is something I can practice applying every moment of every day.

Ask: How can I grow in my love for God and others? How can I put that love into practice in real and distinct ways?

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord, you are holy, you are mighty, you are God. Thank you for summing up your perfect Law into this one Greatest Commandment. I pray that my love for you and others will increase and abound. I kneel before you in love and offer you more of me – heart, mind and soul. Teach me what it means to truly love my neighbor as myself. As I go about this day – reveal particular neighbors who need your love. I read the words from Matthew again and listen for the message you have for me.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

Even though this passage is very familiar to me and I likely memorized it in childhood, God speaks fresh into my life this morning. God’s word is alive and active. Perhaps God is awakening my spirit to my lack of love and showing me blind spots that I did not realize existed. Maybe God wants me to apply this Greatest Commandment to a particular situation, circumstance or relationship that is a current challenge or concern. Whatever my day holds, God can use these words to help me fulfill his will.

Pause and Pray

Come, Lord Jesus, teach me what it means to live a life of love, humbly and unselfishly pouring myself out in love for God and others. Come, Holy Spirit, reveal the places in me where I harbor any speck of distrust, anger, resentment, bitterness, callousness or prejudice. Cleanse me of negativity and fill me with sincere love for my neighbors and even my enemies. Amen.

Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:11-12

I leave this time of prayer, to live a life of love – loving God and others in all that I do.

Amen