“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
Matthew 22:37–40 NIV
A Pharisee who was considered an expert in the law tested Jesus by asking Him, “What is the greatest commandment?”
Jesus told the man that first, above all things, he must love God with all his being. Second, he must love others as he loved himself.
Jesus’ reason for His answer is twofold. First, Jesus knows you may struggle sometimes with keeping Him first in your life. Second, Jesus knows it’s sometimes not very easy to love and forgive someone who has hurt or sinned against you, even if that someone is yourself.
Take a moment now to love God with your whole being. Then do some self-reflecting. See if there’s something for which you need to forgive yourself—and do so. Then extend that same love and forgiveness toward others. Ah, how freeing! Like David, you can now say to God, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7 NIV).
Jesus, You are the greatest thing in my life! I revel in the love You have for me, the love I have for others and myself, and the love I have for You. Thank You for helping me set my priorities straight.
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Today’s reading was adapted from Daily Wisdom for Women: 2018 Devotional Collection with permission from Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reading was written by an anonymous author.