One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Matthew 22:35NLT
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 NLT
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. Mark 12:29-34 NLT
1. GOD MUST BE FIRST
The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. Mark 12:29 NLT
God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Numbers 23:19 NLT
God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 NLT
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation… Colossians 1:15 NLT
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NLT
As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 NLT
THE DEVIL WANTS US TO TRADE AWAY COMMITTED DISCIPLESHIP FOR A CONVENIENT CHRISTIANITY.
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord. Leviticus 18:2-5 NLT
PROGRESSING IN GOD’S WILL IS ONLY ACHIEVED BY SURRENDERING YOUR WILL.
…not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22:42 NIV
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. Matthew 16:24-25 NLT
2. GIVE JESUS YOUR WHOLE HEART
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart… Mark 12:30 NLT
A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:43-45 NLT
YOUR HEARTS SOIL IS HARD
This message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Ezekiel 14:2-3 NLT
YOUR HEARTS SOIL IS SHALLOW
YOUR HEARTS SOIL IS CROWDED
YOUR HEARTS SOIL IS FERTILE
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:2-8 NLT