How to Honor the Most Important Commandments
How important is it that you and I obey the commandments?
Is there a “most important commandment?”
You must not have any other god but me.
Exodus 20:3-17
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind.
You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honor your father and mother.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
One day, a Pharisee, who was considered an “expert in religious law, tried to trap Jesus” with the following question:
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
Matthew 22:36
Notice he really didn’t want Jesus’ answer so he could better obey God. He wanted to engage Jesus in one of their favorite past times – self-righteous debate through rule qualifying.
But once again, Jesus understood their true motives. So, He simply summarized God’s Commandments in two short sentences…
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-–40
God is perfect unfailing everlasting love. If you and I want to honor and obey Him . . . love is the answer.
And because of sin, because of our self-centered selfishness it is impossible for us to love the way God wants without His Spirit’s help and we only have His Spirit’s help when we repent of that self-centered selfishness and surrender ourselves to the saving grace of Jesus.
To read more about what it means to love God with your “all” go to – How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.
And to read more about the meaning of loving others as you love yourself, check out – How to Love Your Neighbor as You Love Yourself.
![Jesus took the 10 Commandments and in two short statements told His followers about the importance of loving and why it is the most important commandment. #Jesus #Commandments #Faith #BibleStudy #Prayer #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG](https://i0.wp.com/countingmyblessings.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Commandments-Tweet.jpg?resize=700%2C394&ssl=1)
But first, let’s go to the Lord…
A Prayer to Honor the Most Important Commandments
Father, thank you for Your perfect unfailing everlasting love. Thank you for generously demonstrating Your love by sending Jesus to suffer the punishment I deserved.
Please forgive me. I am selfish and self-centered. I fail every day to trust and love You completely. I stubbornly do things my own way. I listen to the shouts of the world and I worry. And I fall so far short of loving others the way You want me to.
Please help me. Teach me Your truth that I might fight back against the enemy’s lies. Help me hold Your promises in my heart that I might trust and follow Your will. Fill me with Your love that I might love others in ways that glorify You.
May it forever be my heart’s desire to love You and others as my loving response to all the grace, mercy, and LOVE you have given to me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
It’s hard, isn’t it? It’s not in our human nature to love like Jesus. But with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can proclaim with John:
All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
1 John 4:15–16, 19
We love each other because He loved us first.
May God’s love be the first thing people see in us and the last thing they remember about us.
On today’s note write:
LOVE is the Most Important Commandment!
Take a moment to read all of Matthew 22 here.
God be with you today and may He fill you until you overflow with His love.
Good morning, Deb!
I’ve been reading your devotionals off and on for a year now….since the end of 2020, I’ve made it a habit to start my weekdays with your post, prayer and a cup of coffee!
I highly recommend this morning routine as a power-filled way to begin a new day!
Thank you sharing your gift of teaching with us. It’s so conversational in how you write—and thank you for sharing the truth, with scripture references.
Thankful Father placed you in my life—I’ll continue to pray for you and yours!
Blessings!
What a wonderful way to start my day!! Thank you so very much! Your encouragement and kindness mean so very much to me! Thank you!!!! God bless you!
Loving God and our neighbors – that’s the Gospel in a nutshell! And with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can do this.
Blessings, Deb!
Amen, Martha! I hope you have a wonderful day!
A big Amen to your post today!! And I sooo love your prayer! Think I will be praying that everyday!! You always seem to know just what I need to hear!! Blessings to have a most wonderful day!!
I’m so glad it blessed you, Kathy! Thank you so much much for reaching out with this kind encouragement. God bless you!
I want to take a moment of your time and thank you so much for your daily Bible study. I have enjoyed them so much. I know it takes a lot of your time, energy, and research to present this material day after day. I’m so thankful I found your material. God bless you and keep up the great work.
Beautiful prayer, Deb. I am so thankful that we now live under grace. What a blessing to have the Holy Spirit’s strength to help us in loving people like Jesus did.
The greatest commandment is LOVE! We don’t have to do it alone – God’s spirit is there with us always, helping us and encouraging us……God’s greatest gift to the world is His beloved son Jesus and our Lord and Saviour. Thank you Deb for your post today – you’re helping to spread God’s love through this devotional. May God bless you always.
Angela – Ireland
God bless you, Angela! I feel so blessed to be able to do something I love so much! I love studying the Word and I love telling people about the wonderful difference the Lord has made in my life! His grace is overwhelming. Have a wonderful day!