Today we look to the Old Testament reading.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:4-7 [NIV]
This passage, part of the re-iteration of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy, is the basis of Jesus' response to the question posed by one of the teachers of the Law in Mark's gospel; "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Mark 12:28.
The greatest commandment; to love God with all that we are, to grow that connection with God, to be more and more rooted in Him; so that through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit we are more able to show the love that Christ has shown us to others and 'love our neighbours as ourselves'.
The Israelites were then instructed to keep the commandment on their hearts and to teach them and discuss them and probably think about them at all times. Can we learn something from that instruction today? If you are like me then you might go for very long periods without thinking about God, or thinking about how Jesus would want us to live / respond / speak in the varying situations that we encounter each day.
If we 'connect' with Jesus more often, even for short moments then we are more likely respond to encounters as He would want; we are more likely to be open to inner transformation so that the Fruits of the Spirit become more evident in our lives.
Connection might be made in a wide variety of ways from planned Bible reading / quiet time or a picture or Christian symbol on the wall of the home / office or taking time to gaze on the beauty of the created world around us or listening to music or a different screensaver or...there are countless ways to connect with God.
Take time today to think about ways in which you can connect with God more often and so live more consciously in the continued presence of God.
Lord, helps us know you more and more; continue your work of transformation in us as you will.
Amen
Mike Iredale
Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 8:32-36, Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25, Luke 11:5-32
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