Loving the Lord with ALL (Mark 12)

I am SO bummed that I'm not going to get to teach this lesson in person!!  Unfortunately the snow has amended our church schedule AGAIN.  Ugh.  I start my lesson prep on Mondays, so when Thursday rolls around it has fully baked and is ready for a plate!  So no banquet in the Bible with my friends this week, but it's too good a message to keep bottled up.

At this point in the text we have moved into Passion Week.  Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Sunday and was spending His remaining days teaching and preparing the disciples for what's ahead but, bless their hearts, they STILL weren't getting it.  The religious authorities have turned up the heat on our Lord, trying to trip Him up at every turn and taking every available opportunity to defame Him.

Verse 1 of chapter 12 is a continuation of the verbal sparring with the Pharisees.  They have now teamed up with the Herodians, the Roman zealots.  Highly unlikely co-conspirators.  In the midst of the debate, a teacher of the Law asks Jesus a question, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"  No doubt he is thinking about the 613 mitzvot, the Law of Moses -- 365 don'ts and 248 do's.  Yep, a list.  A big LONG list.  And he asked Jesus to pick ONE.

I love Jesus' response.  He starts with the Shema, a familiar Jewish prayer: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."  Then He continues, "and love your neighbor as yourself."  Matthew's gospel goes on to explain that these two things incorporate all the teachings of the prophets and satisfy all the demands of the Law.

When you think about loving God, what are some things that come to mind??  Can you STRETCH that?

One of my favorite counseling resources is Gary Chapman's, "The Five Love Languages."  It's nearly 20 years old but still good stuff.  He believes that most people have a primary and a secondary love language.  While God's love for us transcends our comprehension and definition, it's worth taking a minute to think about how He uses all five languages to love on US.

• Words of Affirmation:  the Bible, encouraging words from someone who loves us, devotional readings, sermons, songs etc.
• Quality Time:  He's Jehovah Shammah - our constant Companion Who will never leave us.  He also sends people into our lives who can spend time with us and share our experiences.
• Gifts:  the ultimate Gift - Jesus!!  But all the other provisions and blessings: family, friends, food, clothing, shelter, education and job opportunities, ministries, sunny days, rainy days, SNOWY days...
• Acts of Service: the Body of Christ reaching out in our time of need (illness, death, celebration, confusion, disaster, etc)
• Physical Touch:  we haven't reached the point that we can touch Him in His glory, but He does touch us with nature and also in relationships.

Now stretch your mind and think of ways you can love HIM with each of those languages.

• Words of Affirmation:  praise, worship, sharing your faith with others
• Quality Time: prayer, studying and mediating on the Word, being STILL before Him (my biggest challenge!) -- doing these things individually AND corporately
• Gifts:  money and resources, but also time and possessions 
• Acts of Service:  using your spiritual gifts and talents to build up the Body and to meet the needs of others
• Physical Touch:  being sensitive to the people He puts in your path and knowing when somebody needs a hug!

These are by no means exhaustive lists, and this is when I'm REALLY missing my Koinonia buddies who are the best brainstormers EVER!  They think of things that never cross my mind, and honestly... their comments and discussion is what really teaches.  Maybe I'm just a blonde goyeh version of Linda Richman, the character by comedian Mike Myers from the SNL skit "Coffee Talk" who would always say, "Let me give you a topic.  Discuss it among yourselves..."

Stay tuned for Part 2, Priorities and Sacrifices... Tuesday...