“Which is the greatest commandment?” Matthew 22:36 NIV
“Your greatest commitments should be based on the greatest commandment.”
My thoughts today are about “life’s bottom line.”
Assuming you are like most of us, too much time can be wasted on doing what you would rather do than doing what you know you are supposed to do. Which of those do you think is the better use of your time? Becoming distracted from the truly important too easily happens. Many of us have the amazing skill, refined by a lifetime of practice, of procrastinating the inevitable by busily doing what is more immediately enjoyable – pretty normal, not particularly profitable.
I am a person who likes to know the bottom line – that’s what is of ultimate importance – and then I want to know what that means and how you get there. “Which is the greatest commandment?” When you think about that; that is the bottom line. Inspite of his attempt to trap Jesus by this question, I think the questioner gave Jesus an incredible open door to expose the bottom line of what life is really all about.
Life will present you with many questions. In fact, you are not likely to find the right answers until you learn to identify and ask the right questions. Consider Mark 10:17 NIV/ Matthew 16:26 NKJV. When you learn the right answers to the real questions, you are a long way toward simplifying life, and finding unique satisfaction and success while doing so.
Do you know what Jesus’ answer was, and remains today? “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. A second is equally important Love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 NLT. Here’s the bottom line: your greatest commitments should be based on the greatest commandments. Now doesn’t that make sense of everyday life?
You and your life are the sum total of the commitments that you make. Examine your commitments honestly and you will see more clearly what and who you consider most important to you. Commandments – things you accept as essential, non-negotiable requirements for your daily life – determine the commitments you choose that govern how you live everyday.
There is no higher nor more worthy commitment than to love and serve God with all you are, do, and have; you will choose values, priorities, and how you spend your self, time, and money accordingly. Simplifying your options simplifies your life. Life becomes complex and choices get messy when you haven’t clarified and settled your bottom line.
Ultimate commitments are things and matters that are not easily changed, nor should they be. I think they usually involve promises that you make to others – in your spiritual life and in your relationships. Pray diligently; think carefully, before you consider substituting anything else.
My prayer for you today is to know that the eternal is ultimately the important.