Daily Devotional for Wednesday, October 12 

What God Requires

The young man was pretty sure that he had worked it out in his own mind, but he needed confirmation from someone outside of the school where he had been taught. That teacher, the irksome Rabbi who some called the Messiah, He would have no reason not to be objective, he thought. He had been watching Jesus for a while, after all he was an expert in the Law and the commoners who flocked to this man, Jesus, were certainly not (Mark 10:17-27). 

Jesus was surrounded. His disciples were close as were many from every region of the country and beyond. As a respected scholar, the young man was afforded a seat close to the teacher. He waited for the right moment and then he stood up. Jesus paused, and then after a moment of awkward silence, the young man blurted, “Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Answering the question with a question, Jesus asked him what the Law said about it. The young man recited Deuteronomy 10:12 and added, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus agreed that was the correct answer. 

We also must walk in the ways of the Lord by following the precepts as set out in God’s Word. Just as Mark later tells us in Mark 12:30, 31, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

REFLECTION: Do you struggle with what God requires from you? Do not overcomplicate it.

David Thompson