The greatest man who ever lived gave us the greatest commandment ever given that we might experience the greatest life possible. I’m selfish—I want that life! Jesus, when being challenged and debated about all issues political and religious, was asked, “Hey if you think you’re so great, what is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” The scribes prided themselves in knowing the Torah better than anyone else. Some of the scribes had every book of the Bible memorized! They wanted to corner Jesus. They wanted to tie Jesus up in some theological or religious knot.
Imagine the greatest man who ever lived being asked what is the most important thing in life. Here he is, the man on the cover of Time Magazine asked the question, “How would you sum up life for all of us? What truly matters?”
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
– Mark 12:28-30
It’s all here! Literally everything that affects the heart and the quality of our lives is summed up in this statement. There are so many implications to this statement, but we forget or overlook it. It’s too familiar. The greatest man who ever lived gave us the greatest command ever given to have the greatest life we could ever experience!
Nothing excites me more than this statement. We need to renew ourselves in this commandment. We need to give ourselves to this first command in a fresh, intentional, focused way! This is the way in, for the way on.
I’m giving myself to this in a renewed way. I’m seeking God for a deeper understanding of what it truly means to love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I’m selfish. It’s all because I want to experience the greatest life possible!
On the Road,
Steve
www.steveholtonline.org
www.theroad.org
www.facebook.com/theroadcs
www.facebook.com/steve holt
