Daily Devotional • August 21
A Reading from Mark 12:28-34
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 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.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Meditation
This is easier said than done! Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—24 hours a day, seven days a week! Loving your neighbor as yourself. What if you don’t love yourself, in a non-narcissistic way? What if I don’t want to? The scribe answered correctly. Perhaps he understood how hard this is. Loving God and our neighbor is more important than whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. The scribe knew that it was easier to make sacrifices and offerings than to love God and his neighbor truly.
Julian of Norwich writes in A Song of True Motherhood, “All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God, for the love of Christ works in us; Christ is the one whom we love.” We are reminded that we can never repay God for all that he has done for us. We love God back, in response to all he has done for us. We live for him, as a thank-you note, for our redemption. Christ is the one that we love with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. From this, our love for our neighbor flows.
When we do not do this, we do not have to give up. We simply have to say that we are sorry, ask for forgiveness, and continue to love one another. God helps us to love him and our neighbor. The Holy Spirit helps us to do this. We are growing in the likeness of God and his love. Thanks be to God that we are not left to try to figure this out on our own!
The Rev. Sara Oxley is the rector of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, Florida.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
The Diocese of Offa – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
