JUNE 23, Matthew 22:35-40

The religious leaders hated Jesus. They tried time and again to put him down, to discredit him and to corner him hoping Jesus would be tricked. But these men were fools, thinking they could outsmart Christ, the Almighty God!

A “lawyer” then knew there were many laws in Scriptures. So he hoped to corner Jesus and asked a tough question – which is the greatest commandment of them all? He and his evil companions must have been stunned when Jesus promptly replied that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and soul and mind. Wow, is that not true? If we really God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, we would also have the strength and wisdom to obey all the other commandments in the Bible. Then Jesus went further and said there is yet another commandment, the second greatest. What is it? It is to love our neighbour as ourselves. “Neighbours” here does not literally mean someone who lives next to you, but whoever God puts in your life, wherever this person lives! It is not to be selfish. It is to treat other people the way we want to be treated.

This brilliant summarising can only be done by God, the one who wrote it Himself. These are such precious commandments for us. Jesus ends by telling them on these 2 commandments hang “all the law and the prophets” which means the entire Old Testament.

Dear child, do you love God? To love someone is to want to spend time with that someone. Your mother and father love you, and you can see that love in their wanting to spend time with you. They will want to talk to you, and know how you feel. They will want to do the things you like, as long as they are not wrong or naughty. In the same way, when we say we love God, we must want to spend time with Him and talk to Him in prayer. We will want to know how He feels and that is through a consistent studying of the Bible. Dear child, start with this daily Junior RPG and slowly build up your knowledge of the Bible and of God and follow Him closer each day!

Thought: Do I love God?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for teaching me that I must love You so much. I would never be able to do it on my own so please help me Heavenly Father. This is my plea in Jesus’ name, Amen.