“Can You please explain what we’re supposed to be doing?”

CONSIDER
Are you confused at this point? Perhaps you have been inundated with all the lists that you need to check off in order to be a good Christian. You want to do right, but you don’t know how. If we allow God to be in control of our lives, what is our job?

BIBLE TRUTH
In Mark 12 the Sadducees and Pharisees were debating about all the rules, regulations, and requirements of the law. There were 613 commands in the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy). One of the teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (12:28). Restated, “Can You please explain what we’re supposed to be doing?”

Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God, he is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God. Love him with all you heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important commands.” (Mark 12:29–31 ICB)

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Bottom line? It is our job to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sorry, but I can’t give you a checklist on that one, any more than I can give you a checklist that verifies that you are doing a good job as a husband or a wife. Sure, we may have expectations for our relationship with our spouse like, “Tell me you love me at least once a day”; “Take out the trash”; “Have dinner on the table at 6:00”; “Bring home a paycheck that will pay the bills”; and so forth. But if your spouse could place a checkmark by each of those tasks, does that guarantee a close relationship?

PRAYER
Jesus, please keep reminding me to listen. I believe You are the Lord my God, You are the only Lord. Lord, I want to love You. I want to love You with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. Help me. Please help me to also love my neighbor as I love myself. . . . (Mark 12:29–31)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

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