Sunday November 3rd: Our response to His love

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Mark 12:28-34

The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose.
Our love for God is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first, and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God.
The more we know of God’s love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will. Faith and hope strengthen our love for God
The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. (Don Schwager)