God's expectations for you can be summarized in four short words.
Read / Listen
Read Matthew 22:40
Listen to passage & devotional:
Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 4
Q. What does God’s law require of us?
A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22—
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
Summary
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we looked to Jesus’ command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, followed by a similar command to love your neighbor as yourself.
After listing these two commands in response to the question of which is the great commandment of the law, Jesus rightly proclaims that on these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
This description of the Law and the Prophets is often considered as a way to refer to the Old Testament as a whole. Simply put, anyone who loves God and their neighbor the way Jesus teaches will not be lacking in matters of the law and how to treat others.
Dig Deeper
As a parent I have learned the importance of rules. Growing up, your family’s rules may have seemed arbitrary, but those who've become parents (or given other sorts of authority) can see that they are formed with a purpose.
In my case, the rules are there to ensure my boys don’t hurt one another or wreck the house. Much of what we have for rules at my house is focused on how we treat one another (and not getting hurt by being reckless). Much like how loving your God and loving your neighbor summarizes the law and the prophets; our household rules could be fulfilled if everyone went out of their way to treat one another well.
Simply put, if everyone in your house always treated one another with the utmost love and respect; you would have little need for family rules. Rules are there to set a standard for what is acceptable; but when love is at the center of the equation, that standard will be met.
The Bible is full of various commands for God’s people. While you may struggle to recall all that Jesus asks of his followers, you can go far towards living these out simply by loving God and loving your neighbor.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose very being defines what love is
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for sending His Son, who has perfectly kept God's laws on your behalf.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 9
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