Week: Jesus' Commands
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Jesus, we want to know You more and we want to better understand the way You want us to live. As we consider Your commands, we prepare our hearts to follow You.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Hubo
1 John 5:3
Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us.
1 John 5:3 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on when a teacher of the law asked Jesus what the most important command was.
Read by Hubo
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: Love your neighbour as you love yourself. All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands.’
Matthew 22:37-40 (NCV)
Yesterday we learnt that Jesus chose to obey God’s commands because He knew that God loved Him and because He loved God. So, it’s no surprise that when asked what the most important command was of all the commands, Jesus chose love!
Jesus narrowed all the commandments down to two things: Love God and love others. Jesus said to love God with heart, soul, and mind. That means that everything we do, think, or say should be done with God in mind. Jesus also said that we should love our neighbour as ourselves. That isn’t just the person who lives next door, but all of the people we come in contact with. When we do these things – love God and love our neighbour, everything else comes into place.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What are some of the commands or rules in our house?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Jesus, thank You for your commands. We ASK You to help us remember that love is the most important one. We ASK You to teach us to love God and others the same way that You do.
It’s not always easy to love others. People sometimes say or do unkind things to one another, they argue or they make rules that seem unfair. When love seems hard, we can ask God for help.
Loving God, we ASK You to help those who are finding it difficult to love someone else, for whatever reason. We ASK you to give them the courage to love today, whether that’s to reach out to the person or to walk away.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: Love your neighbour as you love yourself. All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands.’
Matthew 22:37-40 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
God, we say YES to loving You and putting You first. We say YES to loving others as we want to be loved.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
1 John 5:3
Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us.
1 John 5:3 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Hubolodumo (Hubo) is 10 years old, and lives In Johannesburg, South Africa with his parents and 4 siblings.
When he’s not busy trying out ninja moves, he’s practicing the latest dance moves, playing soccer, drawing or playing games with his friends.
