How do we fulfill the commands in Matthew 22:36-39 to love God? And to love others? Listen to God. Listen to others.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
My personal theme of study this year has been “Listening.” And so I cannot read Matthew 22 without recognizing the practical step toward true love that is listening.
The rest of this post comes from the Introduction to the latest IRSM interactive Bible study book, Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion, now available for order on our website.
Our Heavenly Father has a message that we have each been called to hear, but are you listening? Amid the noisy world we live in, listening has become a lost art. We know that “anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand” (NLT). But how should we listen? What is God saying?
We may not hear from a burning bush like Moses, but we can hear His voice through His Word, through nature, through Christian brothers and sisters, even through silence... But again, the question we must ask ourselves is, “Are we listening?”
Devotion to God is a high priority for listening. When we are devoted to Him, we give Him our attention—full and undivided. Devotion implies dedication, admiration, and time—all elements needed as we engage in deeper relationship with our Father and fulfill our calling to listen.
Through these 40 days of devotion, we will explore and experience listening to God, and to others, in a variety of ways.
Each week will present a different focus for our listening exercises. Some days’ activities will resonate deep within your soul, issuing echoes of God’s voice. Other practices of listening may fall on deaf ears. No matter what your reaction or your initial impression, I encourage you to keep listening.
Each day brings an opportunity to open our heart, soul, mind, and strength to what we need to hear. You will be encouraged, challenged, blessed, and even tested. Keep listening.
God has so much He wants to tell us, so much to share, guide, and remind. Are you listening?
Week 1: Listening to the Good Shepherd
Week 2: Listening to the Creator
Week 3: Listening to the Father
Week 4: Listening to the Son
Week 5: Listening to the Holy Spirit
Week 6: Listening through the five senses
There are Daily Listening Exercises to be done individually. We call them exercises because they stretch our spiritual muscles and train us in the discipline of listening.
Weekly Reflections are shared in the context of community, with your Iron Rose Sisters (Christian sisters that serve as iron sharpening iron, encouraging and inspiring one another to be as beautiful as a rose, in spite of a few thorns).
Thank you for joining us the devotion to listening.
If you would like to join us in these forty days of listening, I invite you to order your own copy of Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion!