Friday 12 Mar 2021

March 12: Mark 12:28-34
 
Key Verse: Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
 
Devotion:
I do love coming back to these verses and trying to think about my relationship with God in comparison to what this man replied to Jesus when he heard what Jesus said. We can begin to see how Jesus was steering the people away from the habit of making sacrifices and toward a greater community spirit.
 
I despair at some groups who call themselves Christians but seem more intent on getting a greater number of people through the door than for caring deeply for those who are already coming. I know it is a difficult balance to make all the time – that of trying to get more people to hear about God and caring for those who are already in church, but we do have to remember just who God wants us to reach out to.
 
Jesus made sure they knew it was important to love God with every fibre in your body, but also how important it is to love the people around you. We don’t know what is going through their minds or in their hearts – God does, but we don’t. We should not simply expect people to be able to call on God like we can, or to rely on God like we do... We need to love and support every person around us, from the people who only come to church for celebrations, to the church leaders themselves...
 
We need to love and support each other as if we were family, after all we are in God’s family together. What do you do with your church? What have you been doing during these troubling times?
 
Points to Ponder:
What are you doing to keep your neighbours happy?
 
Will you reach out to someone next to you today?