Matthew 22:37-40 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind

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. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 22:37-40

Commentary

When we love God with all of our heart, soul and mind, we declare that we have no other gods or idols in our life. God alone is worthy of our worship, admiration and affection. Everything and everyone else pales in comparison to this great and loving God! This total heart, soul, and mind devotion to God encapsulates our desire to obey all of his commands. And because this loving God loves me, I overflow with love and generosity toward others. No longer do I need to control though lies, or steal from others to provide for myself. I do not spend my days wishing for that which others have. I am satisfied. I can love with God's love. When God is in the center of my life I can rest. And loving others as we have been loved includes declaring praises for all that God has done, through Christ, on our behalf. Praise the name of the LORD-this is the law fulfilled!

Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Exodus 20:17 - You shall not covet

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Exodus 20:17

Commentary

The word covet does not come up in everyday language much. But it certainly is a part of everyday life! The definition for coveting is: to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others. Behind this is a heart of ingratitude, selfishness and a belief that God has somehow withheld something from us. "I sure wish I had one of those... or, "why isn't my spouse more like them...or, "why do I have to stay in this job...?"

Wanting what we don't have displays that we are not satisfied with God's provision in our life. "I deserve better than this!" And, "I know what I need better than God does." When we believe that God is infinitely good, and we remember that he alone is sovereign, we can set all coveting aside. Another way of translating this command would be, "Be satisfied with what your generous God has given you!"

Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities