Daily Devotion: The Greatest Commandment

Scripture:

Mark 12:28-31

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”


1 Corinthians 14:1

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.


1 Corinthians 16:14

Do everything in love.


Observation:

What do all three verses have in common? All three verses talk about one command: TO LOVE. It is the greatest commandment of all. Jesus did not just say "Love God. Period." Or, "Love your neighbors. Period." In the first and most important commandment, Jesus emphasized that we should love God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, and ALL our strength. It is the highest kind of love. The second one is about loving our neighbor in the same way that we love ourselves. We cannot love others if we do not first know how to love God. In the same way, we cannot say that we love God if we have hatred in our hearts.


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Application:

I don't think that I can learn to love others if Jesus had not shown in his Gospel how I should love others. Can I love those people who have caused me pain? Can I show compassion to others who have shown me cruelty? It is not easy, but because of God's great love, mercy, and grace, nothing is impossible. With the help of his Holy Spirit, He can heal the wounds of pain and help me learn to love others--the kind of love that Jesus has shown to everyone, sinners and saints alike.

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Prayer:

Father, teach me to be more loving, and to be an instrument of your love.