In The Word
Read: Mark 12:28-44
28 One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; 30 and 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 And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no other besides Him;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, is much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And then, no one dared any longer to question Him.
35 And Jesus responded and began saying, as He taught in the temple area, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.
38 And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like personal greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”
The Widow’s Coins
41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Some people think the Bible is so overwhelming and complicated that no one could possibly know it or follow it. Without His heart in you, it may seem that way. However, His Word is very simple and easy to understand. When someone asked The Lord, what was foremost of all the First Covenant, Jesus summarized His Word by saying that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He said that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Then, to make sure we knew that this was foremost of all, He said no other commandment is greater than these. We are commanded to love God and love people.
Some people try to just walk out the letter of His Word without having His heart. However, what gets God’s attention is obedience from the right heart like the poor widow. Giving what amounted to one cent didn’t impress the temple scribes or even the disciples, but it did impress The Lord. He knew her heart as she gave all that she had in obedience and trust in the God she loved.
Maybe you thought the Word of God was overwhelming and hard to understand. Pray before you read His Word each day. Come before Him with the right heart, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to apply what you read. Let’s stay faithful in reading and studying His Word every day so that we stay on His path that leads to an abundant life in Him.