Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Jesus replied, "The most important commandment
is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one
and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God
with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and
all your strength.' The second is equally important:
'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other
commandment is greater than these.
Mark 12:29-31 NLT

God commanded us to love. It would have been easier
if God had just said, "Run a mile a day," or given us
some other physical task. Then we wouldn't have to
think about it. We would create a routine of basic action.
But God speaks of love as an action that requires our
whole selves.

Why must we love God? In the divine plan for those
creatures called human, loving God is as essential
as breathing is to our physical life. We must breathe.
We can make ourselves unable to breathe, or we can
refuse to breathe — but not without consequences.
We must love God because the alternative, though
possible, is unthinkable and unbearable. How tragic
that many choose to give "lip service" rather than
"lung service" to this basic law of spiritual life. Take
a deep breath and ask yourself what specific
opportunities you will have today to demonstrate
your love for God.

WISE WAYS  Think of some specific ways you
could demonstrate your love for God in your
neighborhood.

Quote:

Love is a fabric that never fades, no matter how often
it is washed in the waters of adversity and grief.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Prayer:

Today, Lord, teach me to love you with my whole
being and share this love with others.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Proverbs by Neil
S. Wilson, Tyndale House Publishers (2002),

Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed
God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for
a thousand generations and constantly loves those who
love him and obey his commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT

The love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear
him. His salvation extends to the children's children of
those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who
obey his commandments.
Psalm 103:17-18 NLT

The Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard
you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 NLT

"You can count on me — I will never let you down."
That is faithfulness. Husbands and wives vow on their
wedding day to be faithful to one another, devoted and
committed to one another in all area of marriage. It is a
vow to be with one's mate, to stay with one's mate, and
to build up one's mate. Again and again throughout the
Bible, God holds faithfulness up as one of his
foundational qualities and a foundation quality he
expects from his people. There is nothing like the
faithfulness of a mate, friends and family, and God to
build our sense of security.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing
House

 “If you believe you can damage, then believe you can fix.”
Sometimes, we get so bogged down by our mistakes, that
we lose faith in ourselves. But God never does. God has full
faith in us. Shouldn’t we, too?