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Thursday... Now we all have questions.


Matthew 22:37 (NLT), "Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'"

Thursday... Now we all have questions.

And Jesus was asked questions all the time while he was here on earth. Some of the questions came from searching hearts but others came from people trying to trap Jesus. 


Now one question in Matthew 27 was a question by an expert in religious law and he was trying to trap Jesus but Jesus knew what he was doing and he used it. It did not throw him off track he used it. He didn't let the expert catch him off guard. 

It would be so good if we didn't let people get to us. 

Verse 36 (NLT) is the question and it is, "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Now this guy knew the answer because he was an expert. He knew what Deuteronomy 6:5 said.

Yes, we can be so prideful about what we know and we want to show off and also put down. And that is in no way a good thing. But these religious leaders were doing all they could to put Jesus down. I mean, they were experts and this was a carpenter's son from Nazareth. He didn't even come from Jerusalem.

We Christians can be that way sometimes. We have read the Bible all the way through and you haven't. Our attitude can come across as a prideful expert.

And Moses says in Deuteronomy 6:5, "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." And in Matthew 22:37, "Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." Jesus knew the answer, he was the one who had given the law to Moses. 

Now this expert knew the answer but he didn't live the answer. Over in Matthew 23:22 Jesus said, "But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

You see, it is more than what we know, it is how we live. 

Yes, Jesus knew the law, he wrote the law but he came to add to it. He continues in verses 38-40, "This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all it demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

Jesus didn't win the argument, he made use of the moment. Yes, He loves God but he also loves his neighbor. He also loved this expert. Jesus was on the path to die for him and all the rest of us.

Yes, there are a lot of questions and God through us wants us to be a part of the answers. If he is in our lives, our hearts then we have the answer living in us. Yes, loving God and loving your neighbor makes all the difference. That is why he came to earth. He wants us to not get sidetracked but to love God and our neighbor. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning



 

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