July 1, 2018 – Mark 12:30

　　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: this is the first commandment.

– Mark 12:30

　　Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

　　From this verse I understand that if we wish to love God, our hearts should face God in word and deed, and we should give our hearts to Him and satisfy Him in all things.

　　However, if we abandon other things and expend ourselves for the Lord, work very hard in exchange of the blessings of the kingdom of heaven instead of loving God, then no matter how much we pay, we won’t gain the Lord’s praise, for God doesn’t not praise such impure and transactional efforts. For example, we always listen to sermons, have gatherings, spread the gospel, sustain and help brothers and sisters, and try our best to follow the Lord’s teachings, but most of the time, we do all these for a good destination, for our personal interests.

　　God’s words say, “Thus, if you wish to love God, you must pay the price of pain and endure hardship. There is no need for external fervency and hardship, reading more and running about more; instead, you should put aside the things within you: the extravagant thoughts, personal interests, and your own considerations, conceptions, and motivations. Such is God’s will.”

　　In his letters, Peter always told people to obey Christ as servants obeying their masters, and told people to revere God. Peter’s heart faced God. He loved Jesus Christ and worked for the Lord willingly. He neither wanted reward from the Lord nor bear witness for his suffering in his letters, but wrote these letters to repay God’s love, to complete God’s commission of shepherding the Lord’s sheep. Peter’s pursuit is worthy of emulation. Hope we can have “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” as our principle of practice, share God’s restlessness, and His wants to complete His commission. Amen!

More information: Daily Devotionals