June 22, 2023

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

 

Matthew 22:34-40

Devotional

A few years ago, I asked an attorney friend of mine if he could tell me how many laws are on the books in Georgia. He laughed at the question, which seemed to be all of the answer that I needed, but he did continue to explain that each and every day the legal code changes as new laws are signed, while others might be struck for any number of reasons, which truly makes it nearly impossible for us to know what we are and are not allowed to do at any given moment from a micro-level of understanding of the law.

 

In Judaism, there are six hundred thirteen laws that God gave to Moses, with the best known of those being the Ten Commandments. Jesus took all of those laws (or mitzvahs in Hebrew) and condensed them down to two; we often summarize them by saying: Love God and love other people. The Laws seem simple in their complexity. To truly love in this manner, we must define ourselves as less important than either God or other people (incredibly difficult for us to do) while also accepting the requirement that we trust God and other people.

 

There are often times in my life when I find it easier to love someone than to trust them, especially when things aren’t going the way that I wish them to go. God desires that we love in this manner: that we follow the example of Christ to love self-sacrificially and always remember to be trustworthy to others to help them on their journey to follow Christ’s call.

For Discussion


Is it easier for you to love or to trust?

 

How do we trust someone even when we feel that they might be part of the challenges of our lives?

Prayer


Lord God, you desire that we love you and trust you, even as you call us to love and trust one another. Forgive us when we fail to do so; open our hearts and minds to the shaping of your Holy Spirit that we might see you clearly and see each other as made in your image. In Jesus’ name we pray; amen.

Rev. Scott Tucker
Pastor for Grand Adults
404-842-3172