Matthew 22:36-39
“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.'"
Though this was our memory verse from only 6 months ago, it feels like an eternity since we recited it together at church. This verse really has a new meaning for me though as I remember the Life-Spring family sitting together at church reading it off a PowerPoint slide (hopefully it was memorized by the end of the year!).
It’s stunning how much has changed over such a short time. Who would have thought at the end of 2019 that in a few months, most people would be home all day, kids wouldn’t be in school, rush hour would no longer be a thing, and we’d have to line up to get in to No Frills?
But the amazing thing about the Bible is that it always has a way of staying relevant to us, no matter how things change. Like in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” This is even more true for verses that we memorize!
Loving God and loving others today looks very different from how it did in 2019. But this call for our church is as true now than it’s ever been. Today, loving God might mean making intentional time to hear God or do discipleship with the free time we have on our hands. Loving others might mean giving grace and forgiving the people around us even when we know we’re right. Whatever it may mean for you, let the words of this memory verse sink in this week, and be open to God when you feel that tug to obey.