THANKFUL

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Lord, people ask what we need to do to become a Christ-follower. Before You came, for the religious, the original Ten Commandments weren’t enough. By the time You came to us from Heaven, the religious leaders had added 613 additional “commandments” to Your original Ten. They hoped keeping these extra commandments would make them more pious, and therefore, God the Father would be so proud of them. Your coming changed that nonsense. One the religious teachers tried to bait You with a trick question. “Which is the most important commandment?” You jumped all over that. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” But You weren’t finished with them yet.  “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you obey these two commands, you are fulfilling everything God requires of you” (Matthew 22:35-37).

Lord, You have made being a Christ-follower so easy. Humbly, how can we not love You after everything You’ve done for us? Grace given when we deserved none. Sins forgiven. Peace. Joy. Contentment. Eternal life with You in Heaven. Loving You keeps our priorities in order, since the enemy does everything he can to draw our affections away from You. However, You knew loving You so fervently would spill over to loving our neighbor as well.

That has always been Your plan. And it has worked every time. Amen