The Most Important Thing
When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22 what the most important command was, He didn’t hesitate to recite Deuteronomy 6:5:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (NIV)
The starting point for all of our lives is wrapped up in loving God. We were created to love God and have a relationship with Him. We love because He first loved us!
Amid everything that you have to do in life, the most important thing is that you love God with everything that you are. If we become successful in life but don’t love God, we’ve missed the most important thing.
In Deuteronomy, God instructed the Israelites to constantly keep this command in their hearts and minds. They made physical reminders to help them remember to love God in everything they did. They taught this command to their children as the foundation of all other commands in Scripture.
Take some time to consider your life. Is loving God the primary motivation? Think about how good and merciful God has been in your life. Remember that God loves you more than you could ever imagine. The best motivation to love God is to constantly remember how much He loved us first.
Jesus Does The Impossible
Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:26 is often taken out of context. Many people have taken this verse to mean that they can do anything they want in life because God can do the impossible. Often this can lead to selfish prayers and a small view of God.
In order to understand what Jesus is saying, we should read the preceding verses. In Matthew 19:16-22, a young man comes to Jesus asking for eternal life. Jesus tells him that he must give up all of his earthly possessions—something the young man is not willing to do. Because he failed the test, the young man failed to inherit eternal life.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:23 that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. The point is that loving Jesus requires everything we are. Our ultimate love cannot be split between Jesus and something else.
The disciples then ask, “Who can be saved?” Jesus responds in Matthew 19:26 that it is impossible for man to save himself—but it is possible with God. God can do the ...