Focus
Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.
Read
Matthew 22:34-46 (NRSV)
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Reflect
In this section of scripture Jesus told of the two greatest commandments. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all of your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The two commandments go hand in hand. Too many times we proclaim that we love the Lord with all that we have while turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to our neighbor. I can think of countless times when I have not fulfilled the commandment of truly loving my neighbor as myself and in the same moment proclaimed my love for God. However, when we go about caring, living in community, and loving our neighbor, we are fulfilling both of the commandments. By loving our neighbors we are showing our love for our Creator.
May we go forth engaging with, caring for, and loving our neighbors and our Creator through our proclamations and actions.
Pray
Creator God, forgive us when our actions do not reflect our proclamations. Guide us today and always to have the eyes to see, ears to hear, and the heart to care for and love our neighbors. Amen.
Go with God.
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