Loving God Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Loving God------------------------------------- Date: 10/2/2002 Keyword: "love" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. For the first six days of October, our three-minute Bible studies will key on central issues related to life in Christ. The verses we'll look at may not explicitly relate to the subject of sexual temptation, but they will (hopefully) help all of us to stand firm as we "go back to the basics." Passage: Mark 12:30* 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. Questions 1. What words, images, and concepts come into your mind when you hear the word "love"?   2. With what four aspects of our being does Jesus say (in the verse above) that we are to "love" God? Are there aspects of your life that are left out of this list?   3. What other priorities, values, activities, things, or people might compete with "the Lord God" for your love?   Practical help Jesus spoke these words in response to a question from one of the Jewish scholars of His day. That scholar asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Tough question! The Old Testament contained more than 600 separate commands. Would Jesus be able to point out which one out of all of those instructions was the most important? Yep. With no apparent hesitation, the Lord quoted Deuteronomy 6 and affirmed that loving God is the single most important command given to men and women, boys and girls. To love God is to give Him the place of ultimate priority. It is to have our emotions stirred by the wonder of His grace and majesty. It is to determine to serve Him. This is what worship is all about. Our spouse is not most important, and neither are our children. Neither is our nation, our comfort and safety, or our [shrinking] stock portfolio most important. God is first. Everything and everyone else are to fall in behind Him. Have you weighed Jesus' words and applied them to your life? Who's on first with you? If loving God is the most important commandment given by God, doesn't it stand to reason that the most awful sin is not to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2002 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission." ---