October 26th
Today's Bible Reading
GOAT
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Who is the GOAT, the greatest of all time? There are multiple ideas of who is the greatest. In sports, in politics, in business, in medicine and in life decisions are made as to who is the greatest. People are chosen, titles are given and the accolades are bestowed.
But a great question is not “Who is the GOAT?”, but “What is the GOAT?” Jesus was asked that question. He was asked, ”What is the greatest commandment?” Which one supersedes all others? Which one summarizes all others? What is the commandment that stands above all others? What is the one on which hangs everything written in the law and spoken by the prophets?
Jesus comments that the greatest commandment is a deep intimate love of God. We are told that we “shall” love the Lord. Our love for the Lord is obligatory, not optional. Our affection for Him is essential, not elective. It is an imperative. It is a mandate for all believers. Love for the Lord is the definitive evidence that someone is a disciple. Those who are His love Him.
This love for the Lord is all encompassing. It is “with all.” It is an intense love that incorporates our whole being: our heart, our soul and our mind. No part of our makeup is excluded. This deep affection for the Almighty involves all of who we are loving all of who He is. It is loving Him with nothing in comparison to Him. It is a love that has nothing greater than Him. Our heart’s affection is Him. It is loving Him with our life. All that we are and hope to become is engulfed in our love for Him.
His will is our passion. His detectives are our delights. Our soul’s satisfaction is in Him. It is the pursuit of intimately knowing Him. It is an intellectual intimacy, loving Him with our mind. It is emotional intimacy, loving Him with our heart. It is spiritual intimacy, loving Him with our soul. It is seeking to know the one we love. Our thoughts are enraptured with His love. We are consumed with Him.
This is our quest. It must be our passionate pursuit. It is a deep longing to have an intense intimate intelligent all-encompassing love for God. It is all of Him loving all of me and all of me loving all of Him.
Today rejoice that the Lord poured out His love toward you in Christ. Ask Him to help you to love Him intensely with all you heart, soul and mind.
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