10.12.22 | The Greatest Commandment
In Mark 12, Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment. Jesus answers:
“‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Today, we will be utilizing our time of fasting and prayer to dive deeper into this passage from our BREAD reading.
Using the movements of FAST, spend time listening for God’s voice. To love him with everything that we have requires a bigger vision of who God is. Ask him to reveal to you more and more of who he is, what he has for you, and how he desires for you to grow. Listen for his voice and pay attention to the words you’re hearing.
Follow this time by asking God who your neighbor is and how he desires you to love your neighbor.
Here are the four movements of FAST:
- Focus: Find a quiet place to settle your mind and open yourself to the Holy Spirit’s presence.
- Adoration: Spend time honoring and exalting God, tell him what you appreciate about him. Contemplate on who he is and what he has done. You might even be able to get a sense of his presence with you.
- Speak: Commune with God, taking moments to both speak to him about what’s on your heart and to pause and listen for his voice. Use journals to write down what you hear him say. Ask simple follow up questions like, “is there anything else you’d like me to know about [fill in the topic]” to really get to the heart of what Jesus wants to communicate to you and what you want to say to him or plead for while you fast.
- Transform: Commit to taking active steps to change or address what the Lord revealed during your time of fasting.