by Rob Globke
Mark 12:29-31
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘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.”
Where do I start?
This is the question we all have faced at some point in our spiritual lives. Whether it is the minute after accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or picking up the pieces of a life not lived the way we might want. At some point in our spiritual life, there is a starting point. A beginning. A time in which we must move forward.
Perhaps you can find your starting question in the following list:
- So, I have accepted Christ. Now what?
- I know I am supposed to grow in my relationship with Jesus, but how do I do that?
- The Bible is so big and says so many things. I don't know where to begin. Where do I start?
- As a Christian, what am I supposed to do?
- I have not been living like God wants me to. How do I get back on the path of righteousness?
- There are so many things I want to tell my friend about what I believe. How do I even begin to tell him?
The thought of taking that first step is overwhelming. Perhaps you are unsure if it's the right direction to step. Perhaps you are just plain unsure of what step to take. Starting out in the midst of this crazy journey of faith can be difficult. So, what are we supposed to do?
Jesus provides a path
Well, Jesus, who had a pretty good pulse on the human heart, did something unbelievably awesome for us. Yes, He did take all our sin upon himself so that we could be sons and daughters of God. But, He did more than that (hard to fathom that...I know). He took a lot of words and instructions and boiled it down into something really simple for us. He gave us the two great commandments.
He basically said:
- Love God
- Love Neighbor
When you are trying to figure out where to start, lost and overwhelmed. Start with these two things. When you are trying to figure out what to do, paralyzed by the myriad of choice. Do these two things. Focus on these two things. They are a great starting point.
