What is the most important thing in your life?
In the Bible, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus, "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." In other words, the Pharisee was asking Jesus about the most important thing that we should be doing. Jesus made it really clear that the most important thing is to love God. So, how do we actually do that?
I think one of the best ways to take a step to love God is to ask yourself if he is first in your life. Do you put God first by spending time with him? It's OK to have things and enjoy life, but those things and even people should not be first in our lives. God should be first. He created us and loves us, and putting Him first in our lives shows that we love Him too.
One big thing that we can do to put God first in our lives is to spend time with him throughout our day. Praying while we brush our teeth or when we're on our way to work, listening to music that praises God while at the gym, or making it a habit to read the Bible each morning are a few examples of how we can intentionally make him a part of our everyday lives.
If you're a parent or have influence in a kiddo's life, the same thing applies.God is delighted when they spend time with him, and there's actually a lot we can learn from a little one's faith. In Kid-O-Deo and Elevate, Eagle Brook's Kids Ministries, we are challenging kids to take steps in their faith by learning to love God and others. During their current message series,Stepping Stones, they've been learning how to include God throughout their day. They've even been challenged to memorize the verses that include the greatest commandment:
Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind." This is the first and most important commandment. And the second is like it. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)
Maybe you could memorize it too?
