Great Plains Daily Devotional for 5/22/2019

Luke 10:25-28 

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Like most of you, I have heard numerous sermons on this scripture passage. Almost all of them seem to center around the question the lawyer asked next- Who is my neighbor? But looking at this scripture today, I find myself asking, “Do I love God with ALL my heart, soul, strength and mind?” What does that mean in my daily life? What does that mean to my life in the church? What does that mean as I serve on committees in my local church, district and conference?

Like many of you, I often struggle with setting priorities, with over-commitment and juggling multiple responsibilities. I tend to be a Martha -- busy with church activities, rather than a Mary (in spite of my name) who takes time to sit quietly and listen to the Lord. There are days when I love my work with fellow Christians and days when I dread yet another meeting. There are days when I have to work hard to step back and remember that I can’t do everything and my over-functioning denies someone else the opportunity to serve. There are days I need to ask “Am I serving God or serving my sense of self-importance?”

I don’t have the answers to all of the questions, but I know that the act of questioning means I am still connected to the vine. And it’s good sometimes to question.

Prayer for Reflection

Acts 11:1-18
Psalm 148
Rev. 21:1-6
John 13:31-35