OUR DAILY BREAD : POWER OF SIMPLICITY

[cimi]

August 11
Monday


POWER OF
SIMPLICITY

READ:
Mark 12:28-34
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Then one of the scribes
came, and...asked
Him, "Which is the first
commandment of all?"
__Mark 12:28
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Few people take time to study the US Internal revenue Service income tax regulations__and for good reason. According to Forbes magazine, in 2013 tax codes surpassed the four million-word mark. In fact, the tax laws have become so complex that even the experts have a hard time processing all the regulations. It's burdensome in its complexity.

The religious leaders in ancient Israel did the same thing in their relationship with God. They made it too complex with laws. The growing burden of religious regulations had increased to the point where even an expert in Moses' law struggled to understand its core. When one such leader asked Jesus what mattered most in the Commandments, Jesus responded, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31).

The law of Moses was burdensome, but faith in Christ is simple and His "burden is light" (Mark 12:30-31). It's light because God was willing to forgive us and love us. Now He enables us to love him and our neighbor. __Bill Crowser

`````````````````I love thee because Thou hast first loved me,``````````````````````
``````````````````and purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;```````````````````````
````````````````I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;`````````````````````
`````````````If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. __Featherstone`````````````````
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God's love in our heart gives us
a heart for Him and others.

*************************************Today's Bible Reading __ Mark 12:28-34**********************************

28 Then one of the scribes
came, and having heard
them reasoning together,
perceiving that He had
answered them well, asked
Him, "Which is the first
commandment of all?"

29 Jesus answered him,
"The first of all the
commandments is: 'Hear,
O Israel, the LORD our God,
the LORD is one. 30 And you
shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all
your strength.' This is the
first commandment. 31 And
the second, like it, is this:
'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.' There is
no other commandment
greater than these."

32 So the scribe said to
Him, "Well said, Teacher.
You have spoken the truth,
for there is one God, and
there is no other but He.

13 And to love Him with all
the heart, with all the
understanding, with all the
soul, and with all the
strength, and to love one's
neighbor as oneself, is more
than all the whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices."

34 Now when Jesus saw
that he answered wisely, He
said to him, "You are not
far from the kingdom of
God." But after that no one
dared question Him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
In Christ's answer to the scribe in Mark 12:29, He quotes the
"Shema" from Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, "Hear, O Israel,
the LORD our God, the LORD is one." The title "shema" is from
the Hebrew word for hear. One source says this statement of the
oneness of God is recited twice each day by observant Jews and is
the most important part of Judaism's prayer services.