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January 6, 2023

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And 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.” (Mark 12:28-31) ESV.

The thing above all others that God requires from us is obedience; obedience is the key to fulfillment. The degree to which we are prepared to obey God is the degree to which we trust Him. We cannot blindly do what someone tells us to do if we do not believe they have our best interests at heart.

If we have an obedience problem, we also have a trust problem. As we read the other day, even Father Abraham – renowned for his strong faith – known as a friend of God- had moments when he mistrusted God. It never worked out well for him when he didn’t – it won’t work out well for you and me, either.

Have you ever taken the time to consider the link between obedience and trust? I just wanted to let you know that now is the time to do it. One of the critical Scriptures from our reading today is from (Mark 12:30-31) which says, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And 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” (vs. 30-31). The logical progression of thought is that we cannot love someone we do not know. So as people of God, we need to grow in our knowledge of God. We do that by studying God’s Word and Praying daily. 

Friends, the better we know God, the closer we grow to Him. The closer we grow to Him, the more we will love Him; the more we love Him, the more we trust Him. As we do, He then will be able to entrust His blessings to us because He will know that He, in turn, can trust us. May we begin today and join together in this Prayer? 

Dear Heavenly Father, I worship You today. I realize that You are not interested in sacrifices and outward expressions of worship as much as You are the conditions of my heart. Father, I long to be a person who obeys You unconditionally. I appreciate your patience with me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.


Encouraging Words: Happiness keeps us sweet; trials keep us strong; sorrows keep us human; failures keep us humble; success keeps us glowing, but only God keeps us going.
 
God Bless you, Friends, and have a Blessed Day <><

Thoughts by Randall Stapleton is a Daily Devotion brought to you by The Bridge - Learn more at https://wearethebridge.org

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