# 645 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:32 So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him.
T o love God and the neighbor that He created and brought into your life is greater than the entire system of burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the Old Testament. These requirements were meant to be nothing but shadows and pictures of the sacrificial work of Jesus.
There is nothing shadowy about love. Love does not need to be prefigured or foreshadowed, love never fails! Love needs to be displayed for what it is....love. And it was displayed for this scribe and all the rest of the world on Calvary where God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son!
No wonder Jesus told the scribe he was so close to getting it. He was so close to ditching the Old Testament sacrifice mentality for the once for all sacrifice of love given by Jesus. So close to relying on the real displayed love of God alone for his salvation. Rather than relying on mere symbols.
How about you? Is your love of God locked into the display of symbols, or is it flowing through you by the way you live and worship?
Father, it is easy to fall into the trap of symbolic worship And when I go to church instead of being the church, my love is turning cold. Light a fire in my heart for You and let it spill out into the lives of others.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Every Man Naturally Loves Himself
# 644 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:31a "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
This passage is easily misused and abused in the name of self-love. I have heard Christians say that you cannot love others unless you truly love yourself, and then use that as an excuse to place their perceived needs, wants and desires above others.
Some will use it as grounds for a divorce, or even justifying an affair, or living in sin, or ignoring the poor. Ummmm, there's a better word for that folks, it's called selfishness, not loving self.
Don Matzat wrote a book several years ago called “Christ-Esteem.” I strongly urge you to read it as it will give you a clear picture why we are to love ourselves. We love ourselves because God first loved us. Period.
Our source of self-esteem comes from the fact that God loved us so much He sent His only Son to die for us! Believe me, EVERY MAN NATURALLY LOVES HIMSELF, and you don't need to prove it by pampering your flesh at the expense of others or God's commands.
Though we seek to love others with the aid of the Holy Spirit, though we seek to be as considerate of others as we are of ourselves, we always fall short. Jesus is the only One who did not fall short in this matter of loving others. If we are to love others, this love must flow from Him through us.
Lord have mercy on us, we are selfish sinners, help us just today for starters to begin to love as You intended.
This passage is easily misused and abused in the name of self-love. I have heard Christians say that you cannot love others unless you truly love yourself, and then use that as an excuse to place their perceived needs, wants and desires above others.
Some will use it as grounds for a divorce, or even justifying an affair, or living in sin, or ignoring the poor. Ummmm, there's a better word for that folks, it's called selfishness, not loving self.
Don Matzat wrote a book several years ago called “Christ-Esteem.” I strongly urge you to read it as it will give you a clear picture why we are to love ourselves. We love ourselves because God first loved us. Period.
Our source of self-esteem comes from the fact that God loved us so much He sent His only Son to die for us! Believe me, EVERY MAN NATURALLY LOVES HIMSELF, and you don't need to prove it by pampering your flesh at the expense of others or God's commands.
Though we seek to love others with the aid of the Holy Spirit, though we seek to be as considerate of others as we are of ourselves, we always fall short. Jesus is the only One who did not fall short in this matter of loving others. If we are to love others, this love must flow from Him through us.
Lord have mercy on us, we are selfish sinners, help us just today for starters to begin to love as You intended.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Sum of the Second Table of the Law
# 643 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:31 "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe had asked Jesus for the most important commandment of all and Jesus gives him a bonus answer as well. The second most important commandment is like the first in that it involves the same kind of love.
A love for others that is purposeful, with an understanding of why we love, who we love, and how we love. The who here is our neighbor and our neighbor is anyone with whom we come in contact.
The why we love is connected to who created our neighbor. God did, and if we say we love God, how can we not love that which He made in His image? 1Jo 4:20b says, “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
The “how we love,” is found throughout the pages of Scripture, but the crux of it all is to love selflessly. Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
These two commands are the sum of all commands and can be called the two tables of the Law. The first table dealing with the love of God, and the second table with the love of man.
If you want to really understand these two commands and get into their depth, I suggest that you open your Bible and read first John. Believe me, the point will be driven home, and the road to love can begin.
Father, help me to win my personal battles with self-ambition and to learn to esteem others better than myself.
The scribe had asked Jesus for the most important commandment of all and Jesus gives him a bonus answer as well. The second most important commandment is like the first in that it involves the same kind of love.
A love for others that is purposeful, with an understanding of why we love, who we love, and how we love. The who here is our neighbor and our neighbor is anyone with whom we come in contact.
The why we love is connected to who created our neighbor. God did, and if we say we love God, how can we not love that which He made in His image? 1Jo 4:20b says, “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
The “how we love,” is found throughout the pages of Scripture, but the crux of it all is to love selflessly. Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
These two commands are the sum of all commands and can be called the two tables of the Law. The first table dealing with the love of God, and the second table with the love of man.
If you want to really understand these two commands and get into their depth, I suggest that you open your Bible and read first John. Believe me, the point will be driven home, and the road to love can begin.
Father, help me to win my personal battles with self-ambition and to learn to esteem others better than myself.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Loving God With Our All
# 642 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:30 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
Because the Lord your God is one, that is, completely, perfectly together, we then must completely and perfectly love Him with every aspect of our God-created being! This is what He has created each of us to do. Unfortunately, due to sin, we will not be able to do this perfectly until we are in heaven.
This love is a purposeful love, a full intelligent understanding of why we love, who we love, and how we love. Untainted by sin, we will be able to love the One God, “with all.” With all that we have in our God-created vessels. All out heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The heart is the very center of our being. The soul is our very life. The mind is our power to think. Our strength is the effort to put forth all that we have in our heart, soul, and mind to love Him.
Honestly, we shouldn't have to go any further than this command to see what imperfect beings we are in the here and now. Who can possibly love God in such a way? Only Jesus. Yet as we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, dwells in us and it is His sincere desire and mission to help us love God in such a way.
The more we allow Him to do this work in us, the closer we come to being who he created us to be
Father, I see anew today, how far short I fall from what You created me to be. By Your grace grant me more of a desire to love you this way, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Because the Lord your God is one, that is, completely, perfectly together, we then must completely and perfectly love Him with every aspect of our God-created being! This is what He has created each of us to do. Unfortunately, due to sin, we will not be able to do this perfectly until we are in heaven.
This love is a purposeful love, a full intelligent understanding of why we love, who we love, and how we love. Untainted by sin, we will be able to love the One God, “with all.” With all that we have in our God-created vessels. All out heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The heart is the very center of our being. The soul is our very life. The mind is our power to think. Our strength is the effort to put forth all that we have in our heart, soul, and mind to love Him.
Honestly, we shouldn't have to go any further than this command to see what imperfect beings we are in the here and now. Who can possibly love God in such a way? Only Jesus. Yet as we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, dwells in us and it is His sincere desire and mission to help us love God in such a way.
The more we allow Him to do this work in us, the closer we come to being who he created us to be
Father, I see anew today, how far short I fall from what You created me to be. By Your grace grant me more of a desire to love you this way, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The Lord Is One. What Does This Mean?
# 641 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
The word “hear” means to heed. The word “Israel” is the covenant name of the Old Testament, today we could use the term “Christian.” And we could restate the first portion of this verse as follows: “Christian, heed the words of the Lord our God.
The second part of the verse is mind-boggling rich with information about the God we worship and serve.
“The Lord is one.” Some would use this statement to dispel the notion of the Trinity, but this oneness spoken of here is the oneness of “being,” and not of “person”. The “One God” has revealed Himself in plenty of other portions of Scripture as three in one..
I would rather use this fundamental statement of faith, (The Lord is One) as a REASON for us to “heed” and love Him, and here is where it starts to get rich.
Heed and love God because He is one! The idea of “oneness here is that He is completely, perfectly “together.” That's what I mean by this is a matter of “being” rather than a statement of how many persons are in the Godhead.
Heed God, because there is no shadow of turning, no hint of falsehood. He is completely trustworthy and faithful. He is one with holiness, one with perfection.
His plan of salvation has been one from the beginning!
Let the whole concept of the oneness of God's being really sink in! Because He is one (perfectly together) He can tell Moses that His name is “I AM.” Friend, when you can grasp this, be in awe, for you are standing on holy ground.(James 1:17)
Father, we respect people who “have it together” in this life, but they are no match for how much You have it together! May this truth strike our souls today.
The word “hear” means to heed. The word “Israel” is the covenant name of the Old Testament, today we could use the term “Christian.” And we could restate the first portion of this verse as follows: “Christian, heed the words of the Lord our God.
The second part of the verse is mind-boggling rich with information about the God we worship and serve.
“The Lord is one.” Some would use this statement to dispel the notion of the Trinity, but this oneness spoken of here is the oneness of “being,” and not of “person”. The “One God” has revealed Himself in plenty of other portions of Scripture as three in one..
I would rather use this fundamental statement of faith, (The Lord is One) as a REASON for us to “heed” and love Him, and here is where it starts to get rich.
Heed and love God because He is one! The idea of “oneness here is that He is completely, perfectly “together.” That's what I mean by this is a matter of “being” rather than a statement of how many persons are in the Godhead.
Heed God, because there is no shadow of turning, no hint of falsehood. He is completely trustworthy and faithful. He is one with holiness, one with perfection.
His plan of salvation has been one from the beginning!
Let the whole concept of the oneness of God's being really sink in! Because He is one (perfectly together) He can tell Moses that His name is “I AM.” Friend, when you can grasp this, be in awe, for you are standing on holy ground.(James 1:17)
Father, we respect people who “have it together” in this life, but they are no match for how much You have it together! May this truth strike our souls today.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Which Commandment Has Precedence
# 639 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"
A scribe (an expert on the Laws of God) overhears Jesus comments about the resurrection and evidently was greatly impressed that Jesus took them back to the source and repeated God's declaration to Moses that He is the God of the living!
Good lawyers are like that, they look for precedents. Now like a good lawyer, he asks Jesus which commandment, (and we could say here,) which Law takes precedence? There were quite a few to choose from.
The rabbis of Jesus' day counted a total of 613 commandments, 248 were positive and 365 were negative. One of the methods that they used to determine the order of importance involved the severity of the penalty attached to the breaking of the Law. This method makes perfect sense. For instance, the penalty for murder in our court system is greater than the penalty for shoplifting.
Jesus, then goes on to tell the scribe the commandment that takes precedence is; 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
(The commandment of precedence)
The penalty for not keeping this commandment is found in De 6:15 '(for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
That's a pretty strong penalty, and it will be carried out against all those who reject Jesus.
Still another aspect to consider in the precedence of this command, is that all other commands, including the love of neighbor flow from it. No wonder God says, Pr 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
A scribe (an expert on the Laws of God) overhears Jesus comments about the resurrection and evidently was greatly impressed that Jesus took them back to the source and repeated God's declaration to Moses that He is the God of the living!
Good lawyers are like that, they look for precedents. Now like a good lawyer, he asks Jesus which commandment, (and we could say here,) which Law takes precedence? There were quite a few to choose from.
The rabbis of Jesus' day counted a total of 613 commandments, 248 were positive and 365 were negative. One of the methods that they used to determine the order of importance involved the severity of the penalty attached to the breaking of the Law. This method makes perfect sense. For instance, the penalty for murder in our court system is greater than the penalty for shoplifting.
Jesus, then goes on to tell the scribe the commandment that takes precedence is; 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
(The commandment of precedence)
The penalty for not keeping this commandment is found in De 6:15 '(for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
That's a pretty strong penalty, and it will be carried out against all those who reject Jesus.
Still another aspect to consider in the precedence of this command, is that all other commands, including the love of neighbor flow from it. No wonder God says, Pr 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
He Said "I Am!" Not, "I Was!"
# 637 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 12:26 "But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27 "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."
The Sadducees based their assumption of no bodily resurrection on an ordinance that was communicated through Moses for the period of the old covenant...the law of the levirate, but Jesus goes right to the source.
He takes them to the very passage in which God personally identified Himself to Moses as the great I Am, and what was spoken at the burning bush was not an ordinance, it was a statement of fact. I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He didn't say “I WAS!”
This would be all the proof needed for a bodily resurrection, for these patriarchs were not just souls, they were body and soul! God is the God of the living, not the dead!
Then, Jesus could've said, “you are mistaken, but He added the word “greatly!” This belief in a bodily resurrection is no small matter. It is a great matter and it is why you will find it in the great Christian creeds.
Ro 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Believe it pilgrim, and live in that blessed hope. It's what gives us purpose!
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
Father, help me to live in the blessed hope of the resurrection. Everything changes when I live with an eternal perspective.
The Sadducees based their assumption of no bodily resurrection on an ordinance that was communicated through Moses for the period of the old covenant...the law of the levirate, but Jesus goes right to the source.
He takes them to the very passage in which God personally identified Himself to Moses as the great I Am, and what was spoken at the burning bush was not an ordinance, it was a statement of fact. I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He didn't say “I WAS!”
This would be all the proof needed for a bodily resurrection, for these patriarchs were not just souls, they were body and soul! God is the God of the living, not the dead!
Then, Jesus could've said, “you are mistaken, but He added the word “greatly!” This belief in a bodily resurrection is no small matter. It is a great matter and it is why you will find it in the great Christian creeds.
Ro 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Believe it pilgrim, and live in that blessed hope. It's what gives us purpose!
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
Father, help me to live in the blessed hope of the resurrection. Everything changes when I live with an eternal perspective.
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