A Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 1
- ontrakk
- Oct 1, 2025
- 2 min read
Matthew 22:34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Luke 10:27
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Today I read some explanation of these passages, and learned there was more behind them than I had known. They do not merely recite good behavior expected of those following Jewish Law. They point out the impossibility of following the law without our Savior. Who can follow and obey God with 100% of their soul and 100% of their strength, 100% of the time? Is that humanly possible? No, we know that it is not possible to do this, and we will never be united with God unless we accept the Savior He sent for us. Jesus makes it possible for us to live in God’s grace, striving for goodness and relationship with Him, accepting that we are not perfect. We cannot follow God’s law without Jesus.
Holy Lord, you see inside my heart, and you know the gratitude I am feeling. I am so very thankful. May I be a blessing to others in some way, however you wish me to move forward. I am yours. Amen
Becky, transforming
Matthew 22:34-40. & Luke 10:27
As always, Jesus leads the way. Guiding us in our relationship with God and our relationship with others, everything else in the way we live stems from this. We will spend our whole earthly live attempting to perfect this.
Heavenly Father, please help me be better focused on You and please help me to be the best neighbor I can be. Amen
Luke 10:27
While I know this entire exchange in Luke was a test for Jesus, I often wondered why the man asked the question, "who is my neighbor?" Surely he must have expected something different. But in the end, he had the correct answer when Jesus asked him which person was a neighbor to the attacked men. Jesus use of the word neighbor and our own cultural use are often world's apart. Who is our neighbor in this world we live in? We are often not sure. But as followers of Jesus, we should know that everyone is a neighbor, but not everyone acts as the Samaritan did--with mercy.
Prayer: Gracious God, help me to the the one who show…
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Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus continually reminded the Pharisees of their inability to keep the commandments of God. He was trying to get them to see their utter lack of spiritual growth and their need for a Savior. For receiving forgiveness for their sins, that only He can provide. In today’ world the command seems to be impossible to obey. Is it impossible. The evidence of today’s world No human being can possibly love God with…
Matthew 22:34-40/Luke 10:27
Jesus’ profound distillation of all the law and the prophets never ceases to amaze. The Pharisee “expert in the law” had no rejoinder or objection to what Jesus said in response to his snarky question. Modern-day Pharisees make the same mistake. They conflate dogma with faithful living, placing greater value on jots and tittles than on loving God and loving neighbor. If we mere mortals simply strive to be more like Jesus (with the help of the Holy Spirit as rightly pointed out by Becky), we will be on the right track toward sanctification.
Prayer - Jesus, Your words ring through the millennia, as fresh and relevant today as they were when You spoke them to the…