The 2 greatest Commandments - Matthew 22 - Wednesday Message - 8-12-2020

 

“But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

How do you serve God with all your heart?

For me this is an easy one to decipher… take God with you wherever you go. Know that He is standing right next to you every time you speak to anyone. Interact with others in a way that will make God proud. That is how you serve the Lord with all your heart.

Every one-on-one interaction you have is an opportunity to share God’s love.  How you respond to people leaves a lasting impression.  If you are responding with love, you will be guiding those you encounter toward God.  This isn’t always as easy as it sounds.  Much of the time we are so caught up in our struggles with this world that we respond to people with urgency, stress, discomfort, irritability, or anger.  We can’t serve God with a bad attitude; fortunately, your attitude is completely within your control.

Ask the question of yourself as you share with those in your sphere of influence; as you share with your neighbours…. what is my purpose for disseminating this information”? What is my intended “Goodness” in it all? What seeds am I planting today? Is this done out of caring or love or would it be something more self-serving?

 If you have shared the “Goodness” in your life; if you have shared your light with others then your light will grow within you, you will have positively contributed to our world, and gifted the individuals with whom you have influence and been true to God’s commandments. If you approach others with love then your life will be God’s beacon of light in the world…

 Therefore take God with you wherever you go.  Interact with others in a way that will make God proud. 

When there is no one else but you, much can be accomplished.  As a follower of Jesus Christ you are connected to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.  What an awesome power that is.  If your desire is to serve the Lord with all your heart, you are not alone – God is with you.  All by yourself and connected to the power of God, much can be accomplished.

If you think in the large scheme of things you are insignificant understand that One Person Can Change Everything… You may never know the impact of the things you say or the things you do.. Nevertheless be assured that you do impact your immediate world even without trying…

If you were lost in a jungle with no food or water, on the verge of dying, one person could save your life by simply pointing the way.  As believers, we have the knowledge needed to save the lost and we should share that knowledge at every opportunity. 

Who were the people who brought you to Christ?  Are you not forever grateful for their willingness to guide you home?  The best way to repay their effort is to take the time to guide others to the saving knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

You don’t need to be an extraordinary evangelist to share your faith with others.  You only need to be a willing witness to the journey – a thoughtful guide.  In so doing, you will be demonstrating your willingness to serve the Lord with all your heart.

To love God wholly and totally (with one's heart, soul, and mind) and to love one's neighbor are the greatest commandments of all. These two are inseparable. One cannot say “I love God” but hates his/ her neighbour or has nothing to do with his/ her neighbour. Because God is love and that is why we even have the capacity to love.

There are many approaches to keeping the faith.. How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time.. Begin at the beginning.. Keep it simple and take one step at a time or a day at a time… There is something very reassuring about our first step in the right direction.

We find that keeping one commandment helps us keep the other: “We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travellers on this mortal journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all. … We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father and, as such, are brothers and sisters. As we keep this truth in mind, loving all of God’s children will become easier..

The commandment, “Love thy neighbour as thyself” has a beautiful and simple message. To love yourself, and with that love and understanding of oneself will come a universal love for everyone else. Without appreciating who you are, and your true potential how could you see the beauty in anyone else?

When we ask ourselves if we can do this

 or how can we do it

or tell ourselves that maybe later we will try it,

or wondering if we have it right and pretend to seek answers before doing it..

When we do this we are making excuses…

I would like to share with you a poem witch confirms the point of today’s Gospel very well, both as to form and to content, showing that in spite of a separation or distancing from God’s word, the message of today’s Gospel need not be lost. One might well hope that we all might retain this much of the message as we go forward: This was written for the movie Goodbye Mr Chips and though I normally despise this type of reference this one may well be helpful to ponder..

In the morning of my life I shall look to the sunrise.

At a moment in my life when the world is new.

And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me,

To be brave and strong and true,

And to fill the world with love my whole life through.

 

In the noontime of my life I shall look to the sunshine,

At a moment in my life when the sky is blue.

And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging.

To be brave and strong and true,

And to fill the world with love my whole life through

 

In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset,

At a moment in my life when the night is due.

And the question I shall ask only I can answer.

Was I brave and strong and true?

Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

Let us pray -

Dear Lord we pray that you will be by our side every step of the way in the evening of our lives. We ask  Lord for forgiveness for a lifetime of sins, we ask that we be cleansed so they we may cross the finish line on the right side; infused with your spirit ..

We pray for the physically sick among us and those who struggle spiritually as well.. Help us to be more like Jesus every day, to understand his example before us and to follow in his direction.

Forgive those who have harmed us and help us Lord to feel forgiveness for them in our own hearts as well… Give us the strength and wisdom to love our brothers and sisters as you have loved us….

Helps us to recognize the many blessings that thou hasn’t bestowed upon us , to be thankful for them and the wisdom to share our blessings with others in your name…  

Help us to complete our journey propelled and emboldened with your power so that we may walk the earth fearlessly and did Jesus Christ our Lord in days gone by…

Bless our bible study this night and take us forward with the curiosity of babes and the wisdom of understanding..

We ask these things in Jesus’s name….