Read | Mark 12:29–31
Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
Meditate on this passage by reading it in silence once, out loud a second time, and writing it down. What stands out to you?
Focus
For the next five weeks, we will be working to memorize Mark 12:29–31, which is Jesus’ repetition of “the Shema,” or the greatest commandment. If you have been following along with theFormed.life we have memorized The Shema found in Deuteronomy. Now we will memorize the version in Mark. This repetition by Jesus further underscores the importance of these words and this way of life, making his presence and commands the guiding force in everything we do.
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Memorize Mark 12:29
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Write out Mark 12:29
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"29 Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one…”
Pray
As you pray this ancient prayer, ask God to help you call to mind and meditate on his word throughout your day.
“Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and to meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts.”
- Origen (as quoted in Every Moment Holy, Vol 3, The Work of the People)
Going Deeper
Throughout this year-long series in theFormed.life, the daily Scripture reading will take you through the whole story of Scripture in manageable chunks, allowing time for other study, reflection, and prayer, rather than including every verse and chapter in the Bible. If you would like to go deeper and read through the entire Bible, use this whole Bible reading plan from the BibleProject. Print it off and use it as a checklist to track your progress!
