All in All
God longs to be loved by every part of us and to fill our whole beings with love. God wants to seep into our thoughts and feelings, flow into our bodies and souls, and saturate our relationships with love.
It’s not about what we want to do, offer, or sacrifice for God. It’s about what God wants to do through us. God’s desire is for us to love with our whole selves and be drawn further into God’s dream, when love will be all in all.
Today, how am I loving God, myself, and others?
Do I allow God to love me? In what way?
God of love,
When You spilled over and into creation, You thought of me.
I am from love, of love, for love.
Allow me to see and savor Your goodness.
Direct all that is me towards you…. Energize me in your service.
Teach me reverence for every person, all things.
Draw me closer to Love, even when I live with…
…health or illness, wealth or poverty, honor or dishonor, a long life or short life.
Help me hear and choose Your desire for me.
Amen.
- Jacqueline Syrup Bergan & S. Marie Schwan, adapted
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; 33 and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any question.
Mark 12: 28-34