Mark 12:30-31
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’”
Opening the front door of our new home, there he was, a young man with a spray bottle. Before I had a chance to say, “No, thank you,” he began his pitch about the wonder product that would clean every single surface in our house. Then he switched gears and asked, “Ma’am, what do think is the secret of success?” Now, he probably thought my answer would be a nice house, a new car, a great job, smart investments, or children who are making it on their own. The stunned look on his face was priceless as he listened to my response, “To love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love my neighbor as myself.” His entire demeanor changed as he spoke of his mama who always took him to church and that he really needed to start going again. And then he turned and went on his way.
I can look back at that experience from thirty years ago and say that it was another “pivotal moment,” a time when I shifted direction and was able to identify the possibility that God had something new in store for me. Looking out the doorway at the homes circling our cul-de-sac and those beyond, I prayed that the Lord would give me a clear vision of how to share the love of Christ with the people living behind those doors. Within a short time, I was asked to coordinate Stonecroft Bible Studies in our neighborhood and, during the sixteen years that followed, over 150 women were reached. And it all began with a simple question, and a Bible verse.
How can we love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors? It’s pretty clear that both statements from today’s passage in Mark are commands, which means we must take them seriously. We can start the day by praying that our hearts would be turned towards Him, expressing how much we love Him, and then setting our heart, mind, will, emotions, and strength in the right direction. Next, we can pray for God to provide opportunities and creative ways to love our neighbors in prayer, word, and in deed. Many years have passed, and we now live in a different part of the state, in a different neighborhood, but this is still my prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, cause us to love You more today than we did yesterday. Help us to start each day by expressing how much we love You and desire to be in Your will, which includes reaching out to those around us. May our hearts, souls, minds, and strength be fully yielded to You this day and every day. We pray in Your name, and for the sake of the kingdom. Amen.
