Thursday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 22
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
22:35 A lawyer is an expert in the law; this is another expression for “scribes of the Pharisees” (Mark 2:16; cf. Acts 23:9; and Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament).
22:36 the great commandment. The rabbis engaged in an ongoing debate to determine which commandments were “light” and which were “weighty” (cf. 23:23). The Law refers here to the entire OT.
22:37–38 love the Lord your God … heart … soul … mind. This command from Deut. 6:5, repeated twice daily by faithful Jews, encapsulates the idea of total devotion to God and includes the duty to obey the rest of God’s commandments (cf. Matt. 5:16–20). “Heart,” “soul,” and “mind” do not represent rigid compartments of human existence but rather together refer to the whole person.
22:36 the great commandment. The rabbis engaged in an ongoing debate to determine which commandments were “light” and which were “weighty” (cf. 23:23). The Law refers here to the entire OT.
22:37–38 love the Lord your God … heart … soul … mind. This command from Deut. 6:5, repeated twice daily by faithful Jews, encapsulates the idea of total devotion to God and includes the duty to obey the rest of God’s commandments (cf. Matt. 5:16–20). “Heart,” “soul,” and “mind” do not represent rigid compartments of human existence but rather together refer to the whole person.
Study Questions:
- The third question we looked at Sunday that Jesus answers through the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10 was, "What does a Christian look like?" Once Jesus painted the picture of what it means to love your neighbor, he told the man to go and do the same. James 1 says that pure and genuine religion is to look after widows and orphans. True followers of Jesus will share his compassion for people and will not sit back and watch if someone is hurting or struggling. What have you done lately to care for someone in need? How often do you give of your time, energy or money to be Jesus for someone that is hurting?
- We are to be a people that love God with our whole HEART, MIND and SOUL. We are to love him with our emotions. We are to love him with our strength... our desire, will and obedience. And sometimes we forget that we are to love him with our MINDS... our knowledge and the study of God and his Word. We are to be both/and people. Theologians AND humanitarians. Filled with the Spirit AND grounded in his Word. To truly grow spiritually you will be growing in ALL of these areas. Are you currently growing spiritually? In which areas do you need to most growth?
Pray:
- That you would be like Jesus by caring for people in need.
- That you would be growing spiritually in every way.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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