Plan for: Thanksgiving | Advent | Christmas
Plan for: Thanksgiving | Advent | Christmas
Explore the essence of Christianity through understanding the greatest commandment, the cost of discipleship, and the reward of commitment, emphasizing that true faith requires obedience and living out our beliefs daily.
Good morning, family! Today we’re exploring The Greatest Commandment, The Cost of Discipleship, and The Reward of Commitment. The words of A.W. Tozer ring true when he says, "True faith commits us to obedience."
It's not just about saying we believe, it's about living it out, every single day.
Now let's read from Mark 12:29-30, "Jesus replied, 'The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, 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.'"
Let us pray, "Dear Lord, open our hearts and minds to understand Your word today. May it transform us from the inside out, and may we commit to obeying Your commandments with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In Jesus' name, Amen."
The Greatest Commandment, as stated in Mark 12:29-30, is a call to a deeper relationship with our Creator. When Jesus says, "The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, 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,'" He is not merely giving us a rule to follow. He is inviting us into a life of complete and total devotion to God.
The first part of this commandment, "Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord," is a declaration of monotheism, a belief in one God.
This was a radical statement in a time when many cultures believed in multiple gods. By stating this, Jesus is affirming the uniqueness and supremacy of God. He is the one and only Lord, there is no other. This is a call to acknowledge God's sovereignty over all things, and to put Him first in our lives.
The second part of the commandment, "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength," is a call to total devotion. It is not enough to simply acknowledge God's sovereignty. We must also love Him with every part of our being. This means that our love for God should not be a mere emotion or feeling, but a conscious decision that affects every aspect of our lives.
To love God with all our heart means to love Him passionately, with deep affection and commitment.
It means to place Him above all else, to desire Him more than anything else. This kind of love is not based on feelings, but on a decision to love God no matter what.
To love God with all our soul means to love Him with our life, our very existence.
It means to live for Him, to dedicate our lives to His service. This kind of love is not just about doing things for God, but about living a life that is pleasing to Him.
To love God with all our mind means to love Him with our thoughts, our intellect.
It means to seek Him in all our thinking, to strive to understand Him and His ways. This kind of love is not just about knowing about God, but about knowing Him personally.
To love God with all our strength means to love Him with our energy, our abilities, our resources.
It means to serve Him with all that we have, to give our best to Him. This kind of love is not just about doing things for God, but about giving our all to Him.
True discipleship is often misunderstood or overlooked in our modern Christian culture ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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