Lent Day #28

Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

THOUGHTS:
One of the fads of Christianity of the past decade has been the WWJD craze. There are T-shirts, bracelets, books, and more all reminding us to ask ourselves "What Would Jesus Do?" It's a valid question, but if we want to boil discipleship down to one question, is it the best question?

Jesus said over and over again that he was here to do the will of God. Maybe a better question is "What is God calling me to do in this situation?" It's not as catchy, I know. Maybe I'll have to work on that.

Or maybe the answer is staring at us right here in these verses. Jesus is flat out asked what the most important commandment. Frequently, Jesus answers questions with more questions. This time he doesn't. He says that "all the Law and the Prophets" -- the bulk of Hebrew scripture -- can be boiled down to loving God and loving our neighbor. In a bit more detail, we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. In ***, Jesus includes "all of your might" in the list. Think about these items. Our heart is associated with our feelings that bubble up from our gut. Our soul is viewed as our spiritual essence. Our mind is how we logically process and understand information. Our might encompasses our determination and physical endurance. We are to love God with the totality of our being -- with EVERYTHING we are.

Do we even have *control* over ALL of these aspects? If they are involuntary, can we train these aspects of ourselves?

How do we love God with all of our heart, and all of our soul, and all of our mind, and all of our might?

Maybe instead of WWJD, we should ask in each situation "How do I show love for God and neighbor?"

PRAYER:
Dearest Lord, help us to learn to love you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and might. Thank you for being with us as we go through our days. Please immerse us in your grace and peace. In the name of Jesus, the Christ, your son. AMEN.