Craig T. Owens

I see this pattern of instruction repeated throughout the Bible, but especially as the Israelites are getting ready to enter the Promised Land:

• Obey God’s commands
• Remember what He has done for you
• Teach His commands to your children

When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, He quoted a passage from Deuteronomy, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” And He added, “And love your neighbor as yourself.” These, Jesus said, were the fulfillment of all the law.

• Love God
• Love yourself
• Love your neighbor

This Great Commandment corresponds with this pattern of obey-remember-teach.

• I obey God because I love Him.
• When I remember what He has done for me, I can fully appreciate my own value in His eyes.
• I teach others because I love them and want them to experience the same blessings from God that I have experienced.

This is what I need to be constantly evaluating:

• Am I obeying God out of fear of what may happen, or out of love for Him?
• Am I finding ways to continually be reminded of His blessings? Do I realize how valuable I am to Him?
• Am I expressing true love to others by passing on what I am learning?

Obey [love God] … Remember [love myself] … Teach [love others].

What a great way to live!