The Greatest Commandment - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 30
The Greatest Commandment
By Megan J. Conner
Bible Reading:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)
What does it really mean to be a Christian? There is so much information out there that challenges and encourages us to walk out our faith. Yet it is so easy to get caught up in all the doing that we can easily forget the root of our beliefs. What is this all about? What is our motivation, our ultimate goal? What is it really that we are trying to share with the world?
It is LOVE. That simple, yet profound call to love God and to love others above all else. If love is not the true source of our actions, our efforts will be shallow and possibly even self-serving.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9, NIV). This may sound harsh, but I have seen the cutting truth of this scripture evidenced in my own life.
My husband and I were in ministry, helping lead in a small, local church for thirteen years. We were young, zealous for the Lord, and wanted to give it all for His Kingdom. We co-led and founded several ministries, served at every possible event, helped counsel and lead others… the list goes on and on. We became so fixated on our singular goal of growing the church and our role in it that other areas outside of these efforts were forgotten and forsaken. Longtime friendships were lost, and relationships with our family members were damaged. We were so convinced that we were doing ALL the right things, yet there was a significant flaw. It was not our actions. It was the motivation of our hearts.
How easily we can slide down the slippery slope of legalism, and how quickly deception can turn what was meant for the good of others into self-affirming praise and purpose. We heartbreakingly found ourselves on the receiving end of Jesus’ rebuke found in Revelation chapter two. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first.” Oh, how devastating it was to see clearly. To comprehend that our actions, though filled with fervor, carried with them the wrong motivation. We had missed the mark. We missed the root. We missed LOVE.
This is why today’s passage is penned as the greatest commandment. If we truly love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, with all of our souls, and with all of our minds, then our motives will remain pure because they are fueled by Him. And if our hearts, souls, and minds are filled with love for Him, then those streams of living water will naturally flow onto others around us. Our actions and motivations will be pure and powerful. For… “the greatest of these is love,” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Have you ever wondered what impact your faith has on others? Are your actions motivated by love, or is it possible you may be going through the motions of faith disconnected from the true source of power? Is it possible that you may have knowingly or unknowingly forsaken your First Love? If so, may I encourage you to run straight back into the open arms of Jesus? He is not disappointed in you. He simply longs for you to share your heart with His. You can live out the greatest commandment – just lean into love.
Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 13
Revelation 2:1-7
Photo Credit: Emmanuel Phaeton/Unsplash
To read more from Megan, check out her Blog, Just One More Chapter. If you would like to connect further with Megan, you can discover more on her Website, on Facebook, or Instagram.
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